Erin Kramer Holmes

Erin Kramer Holmes graduated with a degree in family sciences from Brigham Young University, magna cum laude with university honors, in 1998. She went on to earn an MS in individual and family studies from the University of Delaware in 2001 and a PhD in human development and family sciences from the University of Texas at Austin in 2006. During her undergraduate years, Erin Holmes gained research experience by submitting an honor’s thesis, and she put that experience to work right away while studying for her graduate degrees. She worked as a research assistant for the Processes of Adaptation in Intimate Relationships Project and the NICHD study of early child care and youth development.

Upon graduation, Erin Holmes returned to BYU, her alma mater, as a visiting professor. After only one year, she was advanced to the position of assistant professor and later became an associate professor and associate director for the School of Family Life. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses and has been named the Most Influential Teacher in the School of Family Life by the graduating seniors of the school’s student association. Dr. Holmes teaches extends beyond the classroom to one-on-one interactions, serving as a mentor, advisor, and committee member for many undergraduate and graduate students’ research and publication projects.

Erin Holmes’s own research focuses on fatherhood and motherhood. She studies the effects of various factors on successful parenting, including internal factors such as marital quality and co-parenting as well as external factors such as employment and mental health. Her work has appeared in more than 30 publications, including journal articles, book chapters, and other studies. She has presented in over 25 conferences and been granted over $470,000 in funding to conduct her research. Her many awards include the Best Article on Men in Families by a New Professional, awarded by the National Council on Family Relations, and selection as a finalist for the international Rosabeth Moss Kanter Award—placing her article in the top 7 of 2,500 articles published in 2012 on work and family.

Erin Kramer Holmes has a deep desire for her research and work to benefit families in the world. To aid that effort, she has frequently participated in community outreach events to share her findings and has received local, national, and international media attention. She is affiliated with national and international research associations on work and family, child development, family relations, and relationships in general.

Dr. Holmes’s testimony of the gospel complements and enhances her study of family sciences. She teaches gospel doctrine in her ward, and in her BYU devotional she shares the deep insights she has gained from poignant personal experiences and years of both secular and gospel study. She is married to Chris Holmes, an opera singer, and they have three children together. Her own experiences with marriage and motherhood give her remarks added insight and depth.