Harold R. Holmes

Harold served as Associate Vice President and Dean of Student Services at Wake Forest University for a 25 year period ending June 30, 2013. Emeritus status was conferred on him by the University effective July 1, 2013 in recognition of his career accomplishments and contributions.  In that capacity, he served as Chief of Staff for the Division of Student Life. Prior to that position, he was the Director of Career Services at Wake Forest, and held a number of management positions in the banking industry, both in New York City and Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to include serving as an Assistant Vice President and Regional Human Resource Manager at Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo Bank.).

Harold is a native of New York City, having attended primary and secondary school there.   He graduated from Hampton University (Virginia) with a BS in Business Management, and from Fordham University (New York City) with an MBA in Management.  He has completed both the College Management Program at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA), and the Management Development Program at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA).

Harold has been involved in activities in both civic and professional venues. From a community perspective, among other activities, he has served as President of Leadership Winston-Salem, Chair of the Executive Committee of the Triad Leadership Network, Program Chair and Member of the Board of Directors of Leadership North Carolina, Chair of the Downtown Health Plaza Advisory Committee, Board Member of the Northwest North Carolina Chapter of the American Red Cross and Senior Services, a current member of the City/County Utilities Commission, and campus Campaign Chair and Division Co-Chair for the United Way annual giving program.

In the profession, in addition to other leadership activities, he is a Fulbright Scholar,  Past President of the Southern Association for College Student Affairs (SACSA), past Regional Vice President, past State Director, and national conference Committee member for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), Past Chair of the International Education Knowledge Community, International Education Exchange Coordinator and Southeast Region International Education Coordinator for NASPA, and a member of Visiting Committees for numerous Reaffirmation and Accreditation teams through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), receiving the Meritorious Service Award in 2008.  He has also been a faculty member for the annual New Professionals and Mid-Managers’ Institutes co-hosted by NASPA and SACSA on many occasions, as well as having directed the Mid-Managers’ Institute for a two-year term.  In the course of his work, he has traveled to Australia, China, France, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.

Harold has a wife and two daughters, and enjoys sports, photography and reading as his leisure activities.