Holland was born in 1958 in Magna, a copper mining town a few miles west of Salt Lake City, Utah.
His grandfather was an activist in the Democratic Farmer Labor Party of Minnesota, and his father was an engineer and a Union representative.
In 1982, he was appointed president of Front Lash, a major labor organization of union members and college students dedicated to engaging young Americans in political processes, and had to face the problems associated with unemployment of copper miners.
He was then selected as a "Young American Leader" by the United Nations and participated as a delegate in foreign exchange projects focusing on political, social, and economic studies.
In that capacity he met political leaders in several foreign countries, including Germany, Sweden, England, and Chile.