SLI has recognized the extensive service and leadership of two board of director executives who exited their roles at the end of 2023.
Jason Good, Ph.D., joined the board in 2018 and served as board chair from 2019 through 2022. Brent Holsinger, M.Ed., joined the board in 2015, was chiefly tasked with board member development starting in 2016, and served as secretary 2018-23.
During their terms of service, SLI celebrated its first decade as a Virginia nonprofit, increased its scholarship opportunities, established an endowment, hired SLI’s inaugural managing director, and continued SLI’s upward trajectory of impact. Since 2012 SLI has served 180 scholars (67 current and 113 alumni) and awarded more than $542,000 in financial support for students, including more than $147,000 in 2023 alone.
“Jason and Brent were integral in helping lay the foundation that has resulted in SLI’s remarkable growth over the last five years,” said Fawn-Amber Montoya, Ph.D., SLI board chair and associate dean of James Madison University Honors College. “Their leadership paved the way for our continued, increasing support for students navigating college access opportunities.”
With programs in Harrisonburg, Richmond, and Winchester, the mission of Scholars Latino Initiative (SLI) is to support Latino/a/x high school students with college access through rigorous academic challenge, leadership development, scholarships, and supportive mentorships. Under SLI’s model of service, through collaborations with university and high school staff, faculty, and students, SLI provides college access opportunities throughout high school, plus financial support for college success.
“Jason and Brent were champions of SLI’s mission,” said Carlos Alemán, Ph.D, SLI board vice chair and program director and a JMU professor in residence at Harrisonburg City Public Schools. “Each uniquely understood the talents and needs of first-generation college students and Latinx families in our region and brought that expertise to our organization.”
Good relocated from Virginia in 2021 to be vice president for enrollment management and marketing at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. Prior to his move, he served as vice president for innovation and student recruitment at Eastern Mennonite University, director of locum tenens at CT Assist, director of study abroad at JMU, and director of admissions and in additional capacities at EMU. He holds a doctor of philosophy in Hispanic studies from La Universidad de Cádiz in Spain, where he also earned a master of arts degree in Hispanic studies–multicultural and intercultural studies. He received a post-master graduate certificate in college student personnel administration from JMU, and his bachelor of science degrees in sociology and environmental science are from EMU.
The chair and founder and former president of On the Road Collaborative, Holsinger is the program manager for Virginia Partnership for Out of School Time. He has served on the Harrisonburg City School Board, founded and directed Beyond the Bell–Harrisonburg, was a teaching fellow and campus director for Citizen Schools, and was a corps member of City Year. He holds a master of education degree with a specialization in out-of-school learning and leadership from Lesley University, and a bachelor of science degree in business administration–finance from University of Richmond. He now lives in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
