Cole, Holmes and Matthews named 2026 Distinguished Alumni

The Campbell University Alumni Association will recognize three accomplished graduates as 2026 Distinguished Alumni during Homecoming Weekend.

The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes Campbell alumni who have distinguished themselves through their personal and professional accomplishments and their support of Campbell University.

Stan Cole (’87), Dr. Stephanie C. Holmes (’94) and W. Brooks Matthews (’76, M.Ed. ’80) will receive the University’s highest alumni honor Friday, Oct. 16, in the Oscar N. Harris Student Union ballroom. The evening will begin with a reception at 5 p.m., followed by dinner and the award ceremony at 6 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person.

Registration for the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner and other Homecoming events can be found here.

Stan Cole (’87)

For nearly four decades, Stan Cole has helped document, preserve and share the history of Campbell Athletics.

A 1987 Campbell graduate with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, Cole currently serves as senior director of community and alumni engagement for Campbell Athletics. He is the head writer and editor for GoCamels.com, leads the Campbell Athletics Hall of Fame committee and hosts the “Tales from the Creek” podcast. He also is involved with the Fighting Camel Club in various capacities.

Cole led Campbell Athletics’ communications efforts from 1989 to 2022. He was promoted to associate athletics director in 2007 and oversaw publicity for Campbell’s 21 NCAA Division I sports. During his 34 years in athletics communications, he worked with every Campbell varsity program and served in media relations roles at several NCAA championship events.

His career has spanned a period of significant change in sports communications, from typewriters, printed media guides and mailed releases to websites, social media, live streaming and multimedia storytelling. Through those changes, Cole has remained one of Campbell Athletics’ most trusted storytellers and a mentor to generations of students and communications professionals.

Cole’s connection to Campbell began when he enrolled in the fall of 1983. An English communications major advised by Dorothy Whitley, he spent four years working for the student newspaper, The Campbell Times. He also worked in the Campbell Athletics sports information office and traveled with the men’s basketball team for three seasons as a statistician. Those experiences helped him find a community at Campbell and introduced him to the profession that would become his career.

Over the past three years, seven of Cole’s feature stories have received district or national recognition from College Sports Communicators. His feature on Campbell Athletics Hall of Famer Woodrow Upchurch tied for top national honors in the historical feature category of the 2025-26 Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Contest. His profile of Destiny Bailey-Perkins was named the nation’s best entry in the social justice and diversity category in 2024-25.

Cole received the organization’s 25-year award in 2014. He has also served as an adjunct professor in Campbell’s Department of Communication Studies and previously served as president and secretary of the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association.

Campbell is also where Cole met Claudia Croom in the fall of 1986. They married in 1988 and have two grown children, Catherine and Oliver.

Dr. Stephanie C. Holmes (’94)

Dr. Stephanie C. Holmes is an educator, researcher, author, advocate and entrepreneur whose work supports autistic individuals, neurodiverse families and educators.

A 1994 Campbell graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Holmes later earned a Doctor of Education degree. She is a certified autism specialist, certified mediator and ordained minister whose work connects academic research with practical resources for families, educators, churches and other professionals.

Holmes is recognized for her work involving neurodiverse marriages and family relationships. Through research, writing, coaching and public education, she has helped increase awareness of the experiences of couples and families affected by autism.

She is the co-author of several books, including “Uniquely Us,” which examines autism, faith, marriage and family through research and lived experience. Her forthcoming book, “Empowering Autistic Voices in Education,” brings together autistic self-advocates, educators, researchers and families to promote inclusion and educational equity. The book features a foreword by autism advocate Temple Grandin.

Holmes has presented to schools, universities, churches, professional organizations and community groups on autism, neurodiversity, education, conflict resolution, emotional health and relationships. She has also created workshops, podcasts, online communities and other resources for autistic individuals and their families.

Her service includes work with Cross Cultural Ministries, which assists immigrant and refugee families, and Samaritan’s Feet. Holmes has also led mission trips to Costa Rica in partnership with Chicas de Promesa, an organization that works to protect vulnerable girls from exploitation and human trafficking.

Brooks Matthews (’76, M.Ed. ’80)

For more than five decades, W. Brooks Matthews has served students, educators and residents throughout Harnett County and North Carolina.

Matthews earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Campbell in 1976 and a Master of Education degree in 1980. During his career in public education, he has served as a teacher, coach, athletic director, principal and superintendent.

As superintendent of Harnett County Schools, Matthews has overseen efforts to improve academic performance, strengthen literacy instruction, expand career and technical education programs and create additional professional development opportunities for educators. Under his leadership, the school system was removed from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s list of low-performing districts.

Matthews has also supported initiatives focused on student mental health, school safety, teacher recruitment and retention, and partnerships with local government, higher education and workforce organizations.

His influence in education and athletics extends across the state. Matthews served on the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) Board of Directors from 2007 to 2012 and again from 2016 to 2017. He served as the board’s vice president, president and past president.

Among his honors, Matthews was named the NCHSAA’s Bob Deaton Principal of the Year in 2008-09 and received the association’s Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Award in 2016. He has also been recognized as a regional athletic director of the year, Harnett County assistant principal of the year and Harnett County principal of the year.

Matthews’ public service has included roles as a Harnett County commissioner and a member of the Central Carolina Community College Board of Trustees. He has also served on the Campbell University Alumni Association Board of Directors and with the Dunn-Erwin Rotary Club. His volunteer service includes work as a Sunday school teacher and church deacon.