This installment of Black Enterprise’s Empathetic Modern Leaders Series, sponsored by Lexus, focuses on Gerald Moore Sr. who is helping to create the next generation of Black tech workers with his Mission Fulfilled 2030 nonprofit organization.
Moore has more than 20 years of experience as a federal government contractor and as an information technology and cybersecurity engineer. He has also worked as an educator in the public school system teaching technology.
His nonprofit works to introduce information technology and STEM to Black boys in America. According to Moore, Black men represent less than 5% of the high tech and STEM workforce and his nonprofit is working to change that.
Moore is also a motivational speaker who uses his life story as an example that anyone can achieve their dreams. Moore had his first police encounter at 12, was kicked out of school at 14, was part of the Scared Straight program at 15, and was a father at the age of 17. However, by the age of 23 he was a graduate of Norfolk University in electronics engineering technology.
Moore told Black Enterprise he was always interested in electronics but he got lost in the educational cracks and was missing one valuable resource.
“I never had a Black male educator and that was one of the things I was missing in my educational experience,” Moore said. “And I was also not included in my educational experience and I just kind of became a product of my environment and I thought like most young, Black boys today; it’s either going to be through football, basketball or hip-hop or drugs.”
Additionally, Moore leverages his experience with racism in corporate America as a diversity and inclusion speaker focusing on how to discuss race in the workplace. Moore is also a bestselling author of “Motivate Black Boys — How to Prepare for Careers in STEM.”
Moore’s dedication to his nonprofit and showing Black boys how to improve their lives and make successes of themselves using education and technology is what makes him a Black Enterprise Empathetic Modern Leader.