Campbell University leadership will honor Sterling Ta’Bon (’20 MSPH) during Winter Commencement on Dec. 13 with the prestigious Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, recognizing his unwavering commitment to service, leadership, and community impact. Since 1934, the Sullivan Foundation has celebrated individuals whose lives reflect integrity and a profound dedication to helping others. These qualities Ta’Bon has demonstrated throughout his career and his ongoing connection to his alma mater.
From the citation:
Sterling Ta’Bon had a servant’s heart when he arrived at Campbell University in 2014 to study kinesiology and exercise science. But it was his experience in Campbell’s Master of Public Health program — which coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic — that shone a whole new light on his career path and the impact he can have.
In the program, Ta’Bon learned about North Carolina’s migrant farmworkers who lack access to proper protection from chemicals used in the fields. He learned about underserved areas hit hard by the pandemic and how professionals in the public health field could reach those populations and make a positive difference.
“These topics gripped me daily,” Ta’Bon said. “My experiences in the Campbell Public Health program equipped me with the necessary knowledge and tools to navigate a world that, since COVID-19, now knows the importance of public health to our society.”
After earning his master’s degree in 2020, Ta’Bon became a program coordinator for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The following year, he became the communities and care coordinator for that state’s Department of Health, and in 2023, he became the health schools manager and consultant for Cairn Guidance, which focuses on connecting with schools, nonprofits and health systems to enact change to advance the goals of health and learning in children.
Ta’Bon is also co-founder and director of DiamondStackz Classic, a nonprofit focused on the development of children through leadership, sports, arts and service mentorship. The organization hosts an annual basketball tournament in honor of his late childhood friend — a high school basketball phenom in Sumter, S.C., who died in a drowning accident in 2015. The tournament has raised thousands for his mentor leadership program.
Today, Campbell University honors Sterling Ta’Bon with the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for his continued service to his community and to his alma mater. A late nineteenth century New York lawyer, Algernon Sydney Sullivan was a founding partner of the Sullivan Cromwell law firm, one of the preeminent law firms in the United States. He was a devout Christian man, an effective mediator, a compelling orator, a courageous citizen during perilous times, a noted philanthropist and a devoted family man.
Since 1934, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation has taken as its primary mission the inspiring of young people to lead lives of integrity, characterized by service to the community through the recognition of citizens whose lives reflect the nobility of character exemplified in the life of Algernon Sydney Sullivan.
Sterling Ta’Bon reflects these qualities through a spirit of generosity and humility as well as an unwavering commitment to strengthen and care for his community.
Dr. William M. Downs, President
December 13, 2025