McKinney Native Manages Risk at Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

Jacob Holly, a West Point graduate and Iraq War veteran, now oversees business continuity and IT risk at the regional Fed bank.

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Jacob Holly, a 43-year-old native of McKinney, Texas, has taken on a leadership role at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, where he specializes in business continuity and IT risk management. Holly's diverse background includes playing Division 1 college football, graduating from West Point, serving two tours in the Iraq War, and earning master's degrees from the University of Oklahoma and Texas A&M University.

Why it matters

Holly's journey from small-town Texas to the upper echelons of the Federal Reserve system highlights the opportunities available to those with a combination of academic excellence, military service, and professional experience. His role in managing critical risks for the regional Fed bank is especially important given the bank's oversight of Texas, northern Louisiana, and southern New Mexico.

The details

After excelling in football and academics in high school, Holly accepted an offer to play at West Point, where he struggled initially but persevered to graduate. He then served as an Army operations officer, including two tours in Iraq. Transitioning out of the military, Holly leveraged his connections to land a job at Bank of America as a business continuity analyst before earning advanced degrees and joining the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, where he now oversees crisis management and IT risk mitigation.

  • Holly graduated from West Point in the early 2000s.
  • He served two tours in Iraq in the late 2000s as the war was winding down.
  • Holly transitioned out of the military and joined Bank of America in the late 2000s.
  • He earned master's degrees from the University of Oklahoma and Texas A&M University in the early 2010s.
  • Holly joined the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas in the mid-2020s.

The players

Jacob Holly

A 43-year-old native of McKinney, Texas, who is a director at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, specializing in business continuity and IT risk management.

United States Military Academy (West Point)

The prestigious U.S. service academy where Holly attended college and played football.

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

The regional Federal Reserve bank that oversees Texas, northern Louisiana, and southern New Mexico, where Holly now works in a leadership role.

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What they’re saying

“When you go there, it's like, 'This is not fun,' but the football part is great. It's obviously tough. It's hard because I was a good student, had good grades, just not Ivy League level. There's some guys that are just geniuses, almost right Rhodes scholars.”

— Jacob Holly (advocatemag.com)

“Especially in those Military or Army units, you're getting all walks of life, different perspectives, like a football team. Again, you build that cohesive group because you are geared towards one mission. You have to do these things. If you don't do them, people get hurt, and then people don't succeed.”

— Jacob Holly (advocatemag.com)

What’s next

Holly's leadership role at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas is expected to continue as he helps the bank navigate various business continuity and IT risk management challenges.

The takeaway

Jacob Holly's journey from small-town Texas to the upper echelons of the Federal Reserve system demonstrates how a combination of academic excellence, military service, and professional experience can open doors to influential roles in the financial sector, even for those without an Ivy League pedigree.