Dr. Vaughn Holder received a bachelor's degree in animal sciences and a master's degree in ruminant nutrition and microbiology from the University of Pretoria, South Africa. His master's degree thesis focused on the effects of various yeast culture strains on the in-vitro growth of ruminal microorganisms.

Holder received his doctoral degree in ruminant nutrition from the University of Kentucky in 2012. His dissertation examined the effects of slow-release urea on nitrogen metabolism in cattle. Holder subsequently joined Alltech in a postdoctoral traineeship position focused on advanced technical support in ruminant protein nutrition.

In 2013, Holder joined Alltech South Africa as the national research and technical director. In 2015, he returned to Alltech’s research headquarters in Nicholasville, Kentucky, as a research project manager for beef. Since 2017, he has served as the ruminant research group director, leading Alltech's global nutritional research in ruminant species.