All Writings - Kyra Holland, PHD

HeatSmart Alliance: 2024 in Review, Part II

This is a blog that I wrote for the HeatSmart Alliance. In April, we published “2024 in review Part I,” which discussed the HeatSmart Alliance’s (Alliance) coaching and outreach efforts last year. Part II will cover what our technology working group has been up to, as well as update you on membership growth and changes in our organization. The HeatSmart Alliance is known for connecting people in Massachusetts to heat pump coaches who can educate them about the ways these devices…

HeatSmart Alliance: 2024 in Review, Part I

This is a blog that I wrote for the HeatSmart Alliance With 2024 now behind us and the first months of 2025 underway, here’s a recap of what the HeatSmart Alliance has been up to! We’ll start by discussing our coaching and outreach efforts. Upcoming blogs will put the spotlight on membership growth and changes in our organization, as well as what our technology working group accomplished last year. As many of you know, the Alliance was formed in 2020 by…

HeatSmart Alliance: Website make-over

As the Alliance's Communications Working Group Lead, I drove the effort to resdesign and revamp the website by: Putting together a wireframe with instructions on how to present the organization's activities and goals to a website designer; Helping select images for the website and produce them; Writing and editing section titles, captions, and copy for the entire website; and implementing SEO and ADA best practices. Now that the new website is complete, I help maintain…

Social Media

This is the social media strategy that I helped develop for the HeatSmart Alliance on Linkedin. It began to be implemented in September of 2025.We decided to post bi-weekly, from the account of another Alliance member (Michael J McManus) who has a large following, in order to encourage his viewers to follow us, and get people interested in installing heat pumps.The content ranges fromtechnical information-- how heat pumps work and what they do;to organizational updates-…

Undergraduate Commencement, Manhattan College

This is an Undergraduate Commencement Speech that I wrote for the President of Manhattan College, May 17, 2024 Good morning. I am honored to be here with you on this both solemn and joyous occasion, and to say some words to conclude the ceremony, which is an important moment for the entire Jasper community. To Provost Roy and our deans, thank you for leading us through the commencement proceedings and for your service to our…

Remarks for the students at the Dream Charter School, South Bronx

Written for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna Ladies and gentlemen, Dear students, It is so inspiring to be here, at Dream today. I want to thank everyone who made it possible for me and my team to visit; discover this elegant space; and learn about the projects that Dream has for the future, which are bold and bright. I have so much admiration for Dream: From what I have learned, the organization started…

Opening for the Transatlantic Business Forum

Written for Ambassador Philippe Etienne Dear friends, It’s wonderful to see such a dynamic group of leaders and innovators all in one place. As you may know, I took on my role as France’s new ambassador to the United States in June. As I become better acquainted with New York, I am thrilled to discover the level of entrepreneurial energy that is present among French companies here and to see the ties they are forging…

Unveiling of a Statue of the Little Prince, 5th Ave

Written for Ambassador Laurent BiliDear friends,It’s wonderful to be here with you today, to celebrate Antoine de Saint Exupéry and his timeless novella, The Little Prince, a beautiful piece of literature that still carries a universal message today.As you know, this year marks the 80th anniversary of the publication of The Little Prince. In honor of this special occasion, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, will be unveiling a bronze sculpture of…

Award speech for the economist Jeffrey Sachs

Written for Ambassador Philippe Etienne Dear Jeffrey Sachs, Dear Sonia, It is a great pleasure to welcome you to the consulate general this morning to celebrate the work and accomplishments of Mr. Jeffrey Sachs. Mr. Sachs has excelled in so many ways that it is hard to find a single word to describe him. The term public intellectual or global thought leader comes to mind. Although millennials and Generation Z would probably refer to you…

Award Speech for Matthew Yokobosky, Curator of Fashion and Material Culture, the Brooklyn Museum

Written for acting Consul General Damien Laban Dear Matthew Yokobosky, Dear friends, It is a pleasure to welcome you to the French Consulate this evening to honor and celebrate the work of Mr Matthew Yokobosky, one of the most exciting and creative museum exhibition designers and curators of our time. Mr Yokobosky who has conceived and overseen more than 100 expositions at major institutions, such as the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburg, the Whitney,…