Dr. Johnny M. Moore ’02, Education for All
Johnny M. Moore, PhD, remembers when it was time to enter college: the buzz was that computers were going to take over the world, so he chose computer science as his major. After realizing that his major would have him stuck in a computer lab, Moore, a standout athlete, switched his major to math. However, mathematics was an acquired taste, and he didn’t fully appreciate it until he taught the subject in graduate school. Lo and behold, Moore received his PhD in mathematics from Florida Institute of Technology.
A Valentine’s Day trip to Florida’s Disney World to impress his future wife just happened to coincide with a job fair, and both worked out quite well for Moore: his fiancé, Sequoyah, became his wife; and he was hired at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, Florida. In the short span of nine years with the college, he quickly rose through the ranks from master instructor to tenured professor and chair of the mathematics department. He served as vice president of student affairs for nearly seven more years.
Dr. Moore went on to serve as the president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the executive vice president of student affairs at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas. He served as a special assistant to the president at Northeast Texas Community College before assuming the presidency at Pierpont Community and Technical College in 2016.
Dr. Moore, who is passionate about the role community and technical colleges play in our education system, says, “Part of our mission as an open-enrollment institution is to provide educational opportunities for everyone.” By expanding program offerings, he believes Pierpoint will be creating more paths to job prospects and careers for students.
Dr. Moore was featured in Florida Tech’s 60th Anniversary special edition book, “60 for 60: Celebrating Sixty Years of Alumni at Florida Institute of Technology.” Copies are available for purchase here.
