Wes Moore is an author, a producer, a decorated Army combat veteran, an advocate for youth, and the founder and CEO of BridgeEdU. This national initiative focuses on addressing the college completion and career placement crisis by reinventing the freshman year of college. In place of the traditional freshman year, BridgeEdu advocates engaging college students with real-world internships and service-learning opportunities.
Moore graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Valley Forge Military College in 1998 and Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University in 2001. He completed a Master of Letters in International Relations from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 2004. Upon graduation, Moore served as a paratrooper and Captain in the United States Army, participating in a combat tour of duty in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division.
Moore is also the author of two New York Times best-selling books, “The Other Wes Moore,” a story of the importance of individual decisions as well as community support, and “The Work,” which chronicles Moore’s journey to discover meaning in his work and how he found that meaning in service.
Moore’s first book, The Other Wes Moore, is a story of mentorship and support networks that prevented him from falling into crime and drugs. It tells the tale of two kids with the same name living in the same decaying city. One grew up to serve in the Army’s prestigious 82nd Airborne Division, become a Rhodes Scholar and serve as a White House Fellow. The other is currently serving a life sentence for the killing of a police officer during an armed robbery. Moore wondered why he and the other Wes were so radically different. To satisfy this curiosity, he began investigating the man who had the same name. The result was an instant New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller that captured the nation’s attention and explored how the line between success and failure is drawn in our communities.
Moore has been featured by USA Today, People magazine, “Meet the Press,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” “The View,” MSNBC, and NPR, among many others. He is also the host of “Beyond Belief” on the Oprah Winfrey Network, and the executive producer and host of “Coming Back with Wes Moore” on PBS. [General Session, Wednesday, June 29, 9:00 am]
Mr. Tillman has over twenty-five years of information technology experience with Hewlett Packard Enterprise. His current responsibilities include leading a team of systems engineers to design, build, and test cloud solutions. He provides leadership in project management, determining technical direction and research, and support implementation plans for new technology standards and processes.
Mr. Tillman is also the former chairman of an employee-network group where he promotes and executes programs which enhance professional development and diversity within the IT profession.
