From HGSE to the National Stage

Since its launch over a decade ago, the Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) program has emerged as one of the United States’ most respected and consequential leadership development opportunities. A nonpartisan initiative to engage leaders across sectors, the PLS program selects around 60 established, purpose-driven leaders each year. Scholars learn about leadership through the lens of the presidential experiences of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson.

During the six-month program, Scholars develop an initiative focused on a topic of their choice while engaging deeply with diverse models of leadership. They travel to each participating presidential center to learn from former presidents, key former administration officials, business and civic leaders, and leading academics. Together, they study and put into practice varying approaches to leadership and exchange ideas to strengthen their collective impact.

This year, two members of the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) community have been named Presidential Leadership Scholars: Ed.L.D. student Tremain Holloway, Ed.M.’16, and Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid Frank Arce. They join Center for Education Policy Research Executive Director Christina Grant and EdRedesign Executive Director Rob Watson, Ed.M.’18, members of the HGSE community and alumni of the 2018 and 2024 PLS Cohorts, respectively. Together, their stories illustrate the diversity of leadership pathways rooted at HGSE and the shared preparation, values, and frameworks that have positioned them to lead at the highest levels of public service.

Tremain Holloway, Ed.M.’16

Ed.L.D. student; Doctoral resident, Boston Public Schools 

On being selected: “Being selected as a Presidential Leadership Scholar is both a personal milestone and a call to deeper service. It affirms the journey I have taken — from Rocky Mount, NC, to Harvard — and the communities that shaped me. It reminds me that leadership isn’t about titles, but about trust, purpose, and impact.”

Leadership at work: “The leadership challenge I am most passionate about — and focused on during this program — is restoring coherence in public education systems that have long operated in silos. In Boston Public Schools, that meant helping design and launch the 2025–2030 Strategic Plan while navigating deep histories of mistrust and fragmentation. The real work was not just drafting a plan — it was building trust. It required slowing down to center community voice, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and resisting the urge to lead with control instead of curiosity.”

How HGSE helps: “My work at HGSE has reshaped how I understand leadership — not as a position of authority, but as a daily practice of public service rooted in purpose, equity, and trust,” Holloway said. “HGSE gave me access to powerful frameworks such as adaptive leadership and Dr. [Shawn] Ginwright’s Four Pivots, but more importantly, it gave me the space to practice a leadership that is curious, human-centered, and justice-driven.”

Frank Arce

Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid, HGSE

On being selected: “It is deeply meaningful to me, personally and professionally. It feels like an affirmation of the values that have guided my work for 20+ years: expanding access, advancing educational opportunity, and leading with purpose in service of others.”

Leadership at work: “The leadership issue I’m most passionate about addressing through the PLS program is financial wellness and literacy in higher education, especially how we better support students as they navigate the financial realities that often determine whether they can access and persist in college. My goal is to help institutions move from being ‘financial aid providers’ to becoming true partners in student financial success with clear tools, proactive education, and strategies that reduce stress, improve decision-making, and support long-term outcomes.”

How HGSE helps: “My work at HGSE has shaped my leadership in a very grounded way. Every day, I get to serve students who are making one of the biggest investments of their lives, and it reminds me that leadership and public service are not abstract concepts. At HGSE, I’ve learned that public service means building systems that are fair, transparent, and human and using whatever influence you have to expand opportunity for others.”

Christina Grant

Executive Director, Center for Education Policy Research 

On her time in the program: “PLS transformed my understanding of the impact one could have in service to this country as a public servant. Along with access to the former presidents and their teams, we represent a select group of Americans committed to our values — it has been a special life-changing experience. 

“I often tell people that PLS changed my life. The ability to exist in a bipartisan community grounded in the lessons learned across several presidential administrations transformed my leadership and directly impacted my ability to lead as a former state superintendent and today at HGSE.”

Leadership at work: “I’ve made a commitment to public service and education. It is a distinct honor to lead a research center and teach at HGSE where I get to see the impact of my efforts play out in the lives of our students, the research we put forth into the world, and the leaders I help cultivate.”

Rob Watson, Ed.M.'18

Executive Director, EdRedesign Lab; Lecturer on Education, HGSE

On his time in the program: “To join a cohort of mid-career leaders from across sectors, all deeply committed to strengthening our country and the world, was both humbling and energizing. … One of the most unexpected and rewarding aspects of the program was the joy of learning alongside leaders working in fields far outside my own. Engaging with such a wide-ranging group … deepened my appreciation for the many pathways through which leadership can serve society.”

Leadership at work: “Through PLS, I centered my work on the efforts I lead at the EdRedesign Lab at Harvard Graduate School of Education: advancing cradle-to-career, place-based strategies that place millions of young people and families on pathways to educational attainment and economic mobility. I view my work at HGSE as synonymous with public service. 

“At the EdRedesign Lab, we are working to catalyze a paradigm shift in how the nation understands and acts on what it takes to disrupt intergenerational poverty and persistent educational inequities. Each year, we partner with more than 70 communities — urban, suburban, and rural; red, purple, and blue — who are not only improving outcomes for children and youth, but also building enduring civic infrastructure to transform our democracy.