Alex Holmes grew up in central Virginia and received his undergraduate business and law degrees from the University of Virginia. He spent the first 25 years of his career in the tax practice of Arthur Andersen & Co., living in Charlotte, Greensboro, and then moving to Raleigh in 1989 as managing partner of the Raleigh office. After retirement from Andersen he has continued a consulting career advising families and closely-held businesses in matters of tax, estate, philanthropic, and business succession planning.

Upon moving to Raleigh with a clean slate in terms of community service, he and his business partner, the late Glenn Williams, began to explore whether the replication of a national dropout prevention program, Cities in Schools, would be successful in Wake County. With the encouragement of a large group of business leaders, and the Superintendent of Wake County Public Schools at the time, Communities in Schools of Wake County was incorporated in the spring of 1990, and began providing tutors and mentors to children in four public schools that fall. In the 28 years since, thousands of public school children have received the support and encouragement of CISWC, both in its in-school program and  in its afternoon learning centers in public housing communities, and are living successful and productive lives. A product of the program, LaToya Montague,  now serves as its executive director. Alex continues to serve on the board, and currently is vice chair.

Alex has also served on the boards of Habitat for Humanity of Wake County and its Advisory Board,  Communities in Schools of North Carolina, Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina, and the Children\’s Home Society of North Carolina. He has served as a Trustee of Meredith College for 20 years, in his most recent term as vice-chair and chair of the board. He continues to serve on several boards of his alma mater, the University of Virginia.

Alex and his wife Charlotte have three adult children and five grandchildren. They are active in Forest Hills Baptist Church in Raleigh, and enjoy spending their leisure time at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia.

Alex Holmes was inducted into the Wake County Public School System Hall of Fame in 2018.