PINEHURST — Dr. Kevin O’Mara and his family were honored with a $25,000 gift from the Trust Education Foundation to establish the Kevin O’Mara and Family School of Business Trust Endowed Scholarship Fund on Monday at the 31st annual Trust Advisors Forum at Pinehurst Resort.
The scholarship will benefit students of the trust and wealth management program, the nation’s first and only undergraduate degree program of its kind.
O’Mara serves as dean of the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business at Campbell University, where he began his tenure in 2016. Under his leadership, the school has seen unprecedented growth with the establishment and revitalization of numerous programs including the Truist Business Fellows, Burt Family Student Investment Fund, entrepreneur-focused Camel Accelerator, Center for Financial Literacy, and soon-to-be-announced peer mentorship center. O’Mara lives in nearby Lillington with his wife, Cheri, and son, Timothy. His daughter and son-in-law, Emily and Michael Zalimeni, were also in attendance.
“This was truly an unexpected honor that I am particularly grateful for as it recognizes my family,” O’Mara said. “In the academic world, there is no higher honor than to have your name associated with a scholarship. For some talented students, it may be the difference between going to college or not going. Scholarships are bridges to a different future. I want to thank the Trust Education Foundation for not only this scholarship, but also for annually providing scholarships for our trust students.”
The O’Maras were recognized at Monday’s Forum event, one of the largest trust conferences in the nation, with more than 265 attendees from 28 states. Jimmy Witherspoon, chairman of the Department of Trust and Wealth Management, called it an honor to present the scholarship to the O’Maras.
“I have been blessed to work with many wonderful people at Campbell; none more so than Kevin O’Mara. Kevin is a legend in my mind,” said Witherspoon. “He is very attuned with what it takes to succeed in business, but far more importantly, in life. Kevin O’Mara is a trued gentleman and the epitome of what makes Campbell such a special place. We are delighted to honor Kevin and his family with this scholarship.”