 Formerly the Assistant Director at Princeton University's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Holt sought to promote involvement in programs of STEM fields.He successfully defended funding for the Department of Education's Mathematics and Science Partnerships programs.As a result of his efforts, he was repeatedly given an "A" rating by the National Education Association after 2007, along with a 100 percent approval rating by the National Association for College Admission Counseling in 2006 and 2009-2011.