Dr. Andy Wakefield has written several letters of recommendation for the Divinity School’s annual Award for Excellence. This year, for the first time, the letter was about him.
The former dean who stepped down last year to take on a new role as professor was named the 2026 recipient of the Divinity School’s Award for Excellence by his successor, Dr. Barry Jones. In his letter, Jones wrote that Wakefield — who was the first full-time faculty member of the school in 1997 — has been an “inspiring and impactful classroom teacher whose contributions span multiple disciplines, degree programs and learning platforms.”
The following are the recipients of the Award for Excellence from each of Campbell University’s schools, as well as Wiggins Memorial Library and Adult & Online Education.
Adult & Online Education
Chris Davis
Criminal Justice professor
Davis was named Adult & Online Education’s Award for Excellence recipient in recognition of his “teaching, advising and unwavering commitment to student success,” demonstrating strong and consistent commitment to accessibility and inclusive design on campus.
According to Dean Nicole Winget, Davis was proactive in enhancing accessibility of his instructional materials, including traveling to campus to participate in IT training sessions and working diligently to improve his Ally score during Fix Your Content Day. In addition, he served as the subject area advisor for criminal justice students, offering thoughtful, student-centered advising informed by his valuable “boots-on-the-ground” professional experience.
From the dean: “He demonstrates highly skilled and intentional teaching in the online environment, designing rigorous courses that challenge students while ensuring meaningful engagement with course materials. Always accessible and responsive, Chris provides timely support and fosters a supportive learning environment that encourages student confidence, persistence, and academic growth. His willingness to innovate and try new instructional approaches further enhances the quality of the online learning experience for adult students.” — Nicole Winget
College of Arts & Sciences
Dr. Charles Dwayne Wilson
Associate Professor of Music
Dr. Dwayne Wilson joined Campbell’s faculty in 2000 and became chair of the Division of Fine Arts in 2023. That position carries an extraordinary service load, overseeing three departments — art, music and theater — and a full calendar of performances, productions and gallery exhibitions. The past year was particularly demanding with several long-time faculty retirements and “the tremendous amount of detailed work required of the ensuing searches.”
From the dean: “With visionary leadership, Dr. Wilson used these changes as an opportunity to implement meaningful and efficient reorganization across art, music and theatre. Dr. Wilson also oversaw the return of Campbell University’s Athletic Bands — including the marching band, basketball pep band, color guard and winter guard — to the College of Arts and Sciences. In alignment with the University’s strategic focus on enrollment growth, he has intensified recruitment efforts of the division with its scores of visits to high schools.” — Dr. Michael Wells
College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences
Dr. Emily S. Bailey
Associate Professor of Public Health
Dr. Emily Bailey brings distinction to Campbell through scholarship that is both nationally recognized and deeply student-centered. An environmental microbiologist and One Health scholar, she has authored 57 peer-reviewed publications, including 20 as first author and seven as senior author. Her work spans environmental microbiology, zoonoses, One Health surveillance, water and wastewater systems, SARSCoV-2 persistence, and ESBL E. coli detection. In 2026 she received national recognition with an invited News and Views article in Nature Water, affirming her standing as a leading voice in environmental health research.
Bailey has strengthened the research culture while maintaining a deeply student-centered teaching portfolio. She leads key courses that foreground One Health and environmental health applications, has repeatedly guided MSPH capstone cohorts in authentic research apprenticeships and has contributed to standards-development work and federal and foundation review panels that help shape the future of environmental and One Health research. She is also chair of the CPHS Research Committee.
From the dean: A defining strength of Dr. Bailey’s work is her integration of research, pedagogy and community collaboration in ways that transform student learning. In her laboratory, capstone advising and independent study experiences, students master molecular detection methods, quantitative microbial risk assessment,and environmental sampling while contributing to manuscripts, invited commentary and applied field studies in North Carolina and abroad.” — Dr. Jeff Mercer
Divinity School
Dr. Andrew Wakefield
Professor of New Testament & Greek
James R. Coates Chair of Christian Divinity
Dr. Andrew Wakefield joined the Divinity School faculty in 1997, and over the past 27 years, he has taught not only in the area of New Testament and Greek, but also in leadership, spiritual formation, technology and ministry, and preaching. He has held the Tyner Endowed Chair of Biblical Studies since 2008, and in 2010 he was named Dean of the Divinity School. Currently he is the longest-serving dean on the Provost’s Council.
Throughout his service to the university, Wakefield has also been deeply invested in service to the church. Over the past three decades, he has served 14 churches as an interim pastor, and dozens more as preacher, teacher, and retreat leader. He and his family helped start Baptist Fellowship of Angier, a mission-focused church that explored innovative polity and structure.
From the dean: “Dr. Wakefield has made a significant impact on the Divinity School’s institutional and financial health through his leadership in securing new sources of grant funding. He led the efforts to acquire the 2021 Boundary Spanning Theological Education grant. As a result of this initiative, the Divinity School developed the Master of Arts in Christian Ministry Online/Hybrid degree program for students who do not have access to courses on the main campus. The first students to complete this program will graduate in 2026. Dr. Wakefield also led the successful application for the school’s Empowering Families for Spiritual Formation program, a program that provides Christian education resources to families and children based on research conducted in partnership with local congregations. These grant initiatives have expanded the Divinity School’s reach beyond the Buies Creek campus and have enabled the school to engage a broader constituency with resources for theological education.” — Dr. Barry Jones
Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine
Dr. Prabhakar Vaidya
Professor of Internal Medicine
Dr. Prabhakar Vaidya is the recipient of the medical school’s Award for Excellence for his outstanding contributions in the areas of medical education, scholarship and community service.
Vaidya joined the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine in 2015, and his substantial and enduring contributions to medical education span over 50 years. His didactic and case-based teaching materials clearly demonstrate his passion for education and dedication to providing students with the highest quality educational resources. He is also an accomplished educator in the realm of graduate medical education, where his contributions in this role are equally impressive and highly regarded by both faculty and residents.
Since joining Campbell, Dr. Vaidya has successfully published his own scholarly works and served as a mentor on several student and resident projects. Dr. Vaidya has also demonstrated significant contributions to scholarly activities through numerous Grand Rounds, educational symposia and continuing medical education presentations for academic and community physicians, residents and allied health providers.
From the dean: “Dr. Prabhakar Vaidya displays the special qualities and characteristics of a clinical faculty member who has represented the interests of CUSOM and Campbell University in a positive manner. His success in teaching, scholarship and service to the community and the university far exceeds expectations.” — Dr. David Tolentino
Lundy-Fetterman School of Business
Scott Kelly
Instructor of Business & Entrepreneurship Coordinator
Director of Entrepreneurship
Since his arrival at Campbell University, Scott Kelly has brought enthusiasm, innovation and a deep commitment to preparing business students for meaningful and impactful lives-both during their time on campus and long after graduation.
A strong advocate for enriching the student experience, Kelly encourages and mentors students to participate in national entrepreneurship competitions, where they have achieved remarkable success. He organizes trips to Raleigh to connect students with entrepreneurs and works to secure valuable internship opportunities. Kelly has also been instrumental in launching key entrepreneurial initiatives within the school of Business, including Shark Tank sessions, the Presidential Innovation Challenge, the Tech Expo and the school’s novel Camel Accelerator.
From the dean: “Professor Kelly exemplifies what it means to be an engaged faculty member. He views the classroom as a dynamic space to introduce students to emerging technologies through hands-on assignments, projects, and presentations. His courses evolve each semester to reflect the latest advancements, ensuring that students are consistently exposed to relevant tools and ideas. Students often report that they leave his classes confident in their abilities and motivated to continue building these skills for future success.” — Dr. Kevin O’Mara
Norman A. Wiggins Memorial Library
Meredith Beeman
Head of Research and Instruction Services
A member of the library faculty since 2023, Meredith Beeman moved swiftly from her role as reference and instruction librarian to head of research and instruction services because of her strengths in management, organization and reflective practice.
As co-chair of the Academic Symposium and liaison to Chemistry and Physics, Communication Studies, Engineering, the Honors Program, and Mathematics, Beeman serves a wide variety of students and faculty with dedication and skill. In her first summer with the library, she immediately established herself as a thought leader by leading a series of reflective seminars for librarians on the significance, meaning and potential value of artificial intelligence within electronic resources.
From the dean: “She is permanently engaged with trends in the profession and within the world of scholarly research, which is key to her leadership of the library’s largest department, Research and Instruction. In short, she is an outstanding librarian who can be turned to in times of need to solve problems, take on difficult organizational tasks, and bring in the many voices of her team members to create consensus. She is a strong leader and demonstrates a true sense of calling — one of the Hallmarks of the Campbell University Experience that she has adopted so well into her work in instruction.” — Steve Bahnaman
Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law
Timothy R. Zinnecker
Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
Professor of Law
A tenured professor at Campbell Law since 2011 and former associate dean for academic affairs from January 2012 through June 2017, Timothy Zinnecker has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to teaching core commercial law subjects — most notably in Secured Transactions, which he teaches every semester, often in multiple sections.
Beyond the classroom, Zinnecker’s contributions to legal scholarship and institutional service further highlight his success. He is an author of leading teaching materials and treatises in payment systems and secured transactions, including multiple editions of widely used Q&A series and casebooks that have shaped how these subjects are taught nationwide. His scholarly work demonstrates both technical mastery and pedagogical innovation, particularly in advancing deductive reasoning as a tool for understanding the Uniform Commercial Code.
From the dean: “Professor Timothy R. Zinnecker exemplifies sustained excellence in legal education. His consistent recognition by students, including multiple ‘Professor of the Year’ honors and the Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Award, reflects his ability to make complex statutory frameworks accessible, engaging and intellectually compelling, His pedagogy of structured reasoning, practical hypotheticals and disciplined analytical methods equips students to master doctrine and think like sophisticated commercial lawyers.” — J. Rich Leonard
School of Engineering
Dr. Mohsen Riahi-Manesh
Assistant professor of engineering
Dr. Mohsen Riahi-Manesh is a versatile teacher who has taught 11 distinct engineering courses at Campbell, developing three from the ground up. He has also revised courses to incorporate hands-on learning through labs and other projects.
Specifically, he has integrated Python-based machine learning modules, MATLAB laboratories, ZyBooks active-learning content, and project-intensive laboratory experiences that help students connect theory to practice while developing industry-relevant skills.
Manesh is the founder and advisor of the NASA Human Exploration Remote Operations (HERO) challenge team. He provided leadership, mentorship, and grant-writing support that resulted in a second-place international finish in 2025, in the team’s inaugural year.
From the dean: “Student evaluations for his courses are high and consistently show 90-100% agreement that he contributes positively to learning, communicates complex material clearly and maintains a highly supportive classroom environment.” — Dr. Jenna Carpenter