Butler University announced today that Dr. Michael Hole has been named the University’s new Executive Vice President and Provost. A physician, professor, entrepreneur, and military officer—and a 2008 Butler alumnus—Dr. Hole was introduced to the campus community this afternoon during an event at the Schrott Center for the Arts. In addition to his administrative appointment, Michael will hold the title of Professor of Health and Public Policy in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. 

Dr. Hole brings a distinguished record of leadership spanning medicine, higher education, social innovation, and national policy. His career reflects the combination of academic excellence and strategic, future-focused thinking that will guide Butler’s academic and student success enterprise in the years ahead. 

Dr. Hole’s professional background bridges four sectors—healthcare, business, academia, and government—and includes achievements that have earned national and global recognition. Highlights of his career include: 

• Founding nine mission-driven organizations improving health and economic opportunities nationwide 
  
  
• Caring for vulnerable populations, including homeless families and incarcerated youth, as a pediatrician 
  
  
• Serving as a White House Fellow at the Domestic Policy Council and later as Senior Advisor for Rural America in the Executive Office of the President, shaping bipartisan strategies to strengthen mental health, support veterans, address the opioid epidemic, and improve rural health and economic development 
  
  
• Creating The Impact Factory at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin), a nationally recognized innovation hub that has supported organizations serving more than 75,000 people in 65 countries 
  
  
• Teaching entrepreneurship, health sciences, public affairs, and community engagement, and earning UT Austin’s highest teaching honors, based on nominations from students and peers 
  
  
• Authoring more than 70 scholarly publications on pediatrics, poverty, and public policy 
  
  
• Representing more than 350 faculty in Dell Medical School as an elected member of the university’s Faculty Senate 
  
  
• Co-leading a venture capital and real estate investment firm in Austin that dedicates a portion of profits to community initiatives 
  
  
• Launching campaigns that helped fund a Ugandan school and a Haitian orphanage for children with disabilities 
  
  
• Serving as a captain in the 301st Fighter Wing of the U.S. Air Force Reserve, deployable to rapidly build and operate trauma-ready hospitals during war and disaster 
  

He is also a Presidential Leadership Scholar under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, a Council on Foreign Relations term member, a Forbes “30 Under 30” honoree, and the 2023 Austinite of the Year. 

Butler University President James Danko said the appointment represents “an important step forward in how Butler organizes and elevates its academic enterprise,” and completes the University’s executive leadership structure aligned with the Boldly Butler strategic direction. 

The recently elevated Executive Vice President and Provost role reflects the expanding complexity of higher education and the importance of aligning academic excellence with institutional strategy, innovation, external partnerships, and operational strength. Dr. Hole will serve alongside Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Alan Finn and Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Melissa Beckwith to advance the pillars of the Boldly Butler strategy: Operations, Strategy, and Academics. 

By strengthening leadership within the Academic and Student Success Divisions, the role will support college oversight, faculty development, academic governance, student outcomes, and long-term planning while creating new capacity for innovation and collaboration across campus. 

In announcing the appointment, President Danko emphasized Dr. Hole’s “rare blend of humility and drive; of strategic thinking and hands-on execution.” 

As a Butler alumnus and trustee, Dr. Hole brings a deep understanding of the University’s mission and values. His cross-sector experience positions him to lead Butler’s academic enterprise at a transformative moment. 

His background is especially meaningful as Butler continues to expand its footprint in the health sciences, strengthen its innovation ecosystem, and build industry collaborations that enhance experiential learning and prepare students for a rapidly changing economy shaped by technology and AI. 

“With his intellect, his work ethic, and his enduring belief in Butler’s mission, Michael embodies the Butler spirit,” President Danko said. “We are thrilled to welcome him home.” 

A public-school valedictorian and Lilly Scholar, Dr. Hole earned a B.S. with honors in Biological Sciences and Spanish from Butler in 2008. As a student, he worked as a peer tutor, Spanish interpreter in Indianapolis hospitals, and case manager for domestic violence survivors. A first-generation college graduate and Butler’s “Most Outstanding Student” in 2008, he left campus following graduation to earn both his M.D. and M.B.A. from Stanford University before completing his pediatrics residency at Harvard Medical School. 

His path since then has remained rooted in service—to communities, to students, to national leadership, and now back to the University that helped shape his early trajectory. 

Dr. Hole replaces Dr. Brooke Barnett, who left Butler in June 2025 to become the President at Rollins College in Florida.