TAMPA - Joan Holmes' office at Hillsborough Community College's administration building on Davis Island is a neat space of bookcases, filing cabinets, and wood-grain furniture.
Award plaques hang strategically on the wall; family photos dot a desk that faces a fantastic view of the bay.
It's a great arrangement that in a few days will be boxed up and cleared away. After pursuing a career in education that spans 40 years, Holmes is closing the final chapter this month at HCC.
Retiring isn't an easy decision, especially when you love your work, she said.
"You feel so great helping other people," Holmes said. "It's nothing like going to work and feeling that you've helped someone."
The daughter of teachers, helping minority students navigate through college has been at the core of Holmes' career. And perhaps that's no more evident than her handling of Black, Brown, and College Bound, a conference focused on challenges facing Black and Latino men and education. An estimated 300 students from almost two-dozen different states will take part in the 12th Annual Summit, which starts Monday.
A self-described workaholic, Holmes said she would have continued in her role as the college's equity and diversity coordinator. But after her granddaughter became ill and Holmes was unable to take time off from work to assist in her care, it was clear that it was time to step down.
"I feel like I've achieved the height of my success," she said. "That's a great way to leave."
Holmes - who obtained master's and doctoral degrees from Ball State University - came to HCC in 2009, recruited by longtime president Gwendolyn Stephenson, after a 23-year stint across town at the University of South Florida where she started as an interim coordinator of diversity programs and worked her way up to assistant dean of the graduate school.
Holmes's move to HCC raised some eyebrows in Tampa's higher education circles, with some questioning whether she would be a good fit.
But Holmes knew it was "the right opportunity."
"It was seamless," she said. "I came in with a wealth of knowledge and experience."
Holmes said her confidence stemmed from her longtime love affair with data, a requirement for writing up grant proposals that she had used to net USF programs an estimated $13 million.
"If you want to be successful, you have to know the data," she said. "You have to justify why you need those resources."
At HCC, Holmes discovered that the graduation rate for black men students was below 10 percent. To combat the problem Holmes created HOPE Scholars, a pilot program that sought to boost retention and graduation rates among first generation Black and Hispanic men through mentoring, tutoring, and seminars.
Within one year, the program had retained 90 percent of participants and doubled the number of graduates, Holmes said.
"I saw all those men go across that stage," she said. "When I saw this incredible scene, I knew (HOPE Scholars) made a difference."
After Holmes repeated that success the following year, the program was made a permanent part of the college.
In 2012, current HCC President Ken Atwater asked Holmes to take over the Black, Brown, and College Bound Summit. Founded in 2006 by Sylvia M. Carley, the program had attracted a modest number of attendees. Atwater wanted to expand it, telling Holmes that he would secure the funding necessary to garner big-name speakers if she would focus on booking them.
Holmes, who had planned large-scale conferences at USF, set about improving the conference's star power and landed Magic Johnson as the 2014 luncheon keynote speaker.
Participation has increased each year since thanks to the conference featuring famous personalities like Michael Eric Dyson, Colin Powell, Steve Harvey and John Legend. Good Morning America co-host and Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan will keynote this year's signature luncheon on Monday.
"We started with a luncheon of 300 to about 700 to 800," she said.
A national search is underway to find a replacement for Holmes, who has been "incredible," Atwater said.
"I would love to have her stay on," he said. "Dr. Holmes played a huge role...with these programs and I hope we continue to flourish. She's made it easy."
Holmes said creating HOPE Scholars and guiding the elevation of Black, Brown, and College Bound from a mostly regional gathering to a nationally-known event are among the hallmarks of her career.
Coming to HCC "was the best career move I ever made," she said. "It was the best end game and I feel like I've made a contribution to the college."
Contact Kenya Woodard at hillsnews@tampabay.com.