Wes Moore

This article is about the author. For the basketball coach, see Wes Moore (basketball).
Wes Moore
Born Westley Watende Omari Moore[1]
(1978-10-15) October 15, 1978
Maryland
Nationality American
Other names Wes
Alma mater Valley Forge Military Academy and College
Johns Hopkins University
University of Oxford
Occupation American author, social entrepreneur, producer, political analyst, and decorated US Army officer
Website http://wesmoore.com

Wes Moore (born October 15,[2] 1978[3]) is an American author, social entrepreneur, producer, political analyst, and decorated US Army officer. He is the author of The Other Wes Moore and The Work, both of which are New York Times Bestsellers. He was also the host for Beyond Belief on the Oprah Winfrey Network and the Executive Producer/ Writer for Coming Back with Wes Moore on PBS.[4]

Currently, Wes is the Founder and CEO of BridgeEdU. BridgeEdU is a social enterprise dedicated to reinventing the Freshman Year and creating a softer on-ramp to higher education for students entering their freshman year of college.[5]

Early life and education

Moore was born in Maryland on October 15,[2] 1978,[3] to father Westley, a journalist and newscaster, and mother Joy, a native of Lowe River, Jamaica. When Moore was three, he witnessed his father’s death. After his father’s passing, Wes’s mother took him and his two sisters to live in the Bronx with their grandparents.[6]

While there, and with a lot of sacrifice, Wes attended Riverdale Country School. At Riverdale, Wes encountered academic and disciplinary struggles. When Wes’s grades declined and he became involved in petty crime, his mother enrolled him in Valley Forge Military Academy.[7]

After High School, Wes graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Valley Forge Military College, a Junior College in Pennsylvania. He went on to attend Johns Hopkins University and graduated in 2001. Immediately after, he attended Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar where he earned a Masters Degree in International Relations.

Early career

While living in London, Wes started a career in finance at Deutsche Bank in the international trade and finance division, but in 2005 he left to utilize his training as a paratrooper and joined the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. Wes led a team of paratroopers and special operators who were trained in civil affairs, psychological operations, information operations and various other special operations command disciplines. Among the many awards he received was the Combat Action Badge.

Upon his return to the United States, Wes was accepted as a White House Fellow. He placed within the State Department’s Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources where he tracked foreign aid to ensure it was being used properly. He served at the White House for one year, then returned to New York to work in finance at Citigroup.

Literary career

Wes Moore is a successful author. He wrote his first book, The Other Wes Moore, in 2010. This book and The Work are New York Times Bestsellers. Additionally, Discovering Wes Moore is a Young Adult edition of his bestselling book, and This Way Home is his first Young Adult novel that will be released in the Fall of 2015.

The Other Wes Moore The Other Wes Moore is the story of two young Baltimore boys that share the same name and a similar history, but travel down very different paths. While both grew up fatherless with troubled pasts, one became a Rhodes scholar and leader, and the other was convicted of murder and is currently serving a life sentence. Wes Moore sets out to answer what made the difference through telling the story of young men trying to find their way in a seemingly broken world. The Other Wes Moore has been on both the NY Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller list. Author Wes Moore. (theotherwesmoore.com) [8]

Discovering Wes Moore

Discovering Wes Moore is the Young Adult adaption to The Other Wes Moore. This book acts as a cautionary tale that is more accessible to a younger audience while maintaining the powerful message and story that was set out in The Other Wes Moore. (amazon.com) [9]

The Work

The Work provides a tale of finding purpose and passion through the work a person does. This book retraces Wes’s experiences around the globe that have led him to find his passion. In addition he tells the stories of a dozen other “change makers” and how they found their paths to purpose. (amazon.com) [10]

This Way Home

This Way Home is a Young Adult novel about a high school star basketball player. Elijah faces a struggle that emerges from a standoff with a local gang after they attempt to recruit him to their basketball team. Elijah refuses to play for them and is faced with the consequences. Taking place in a pivotal time of a young adult’s journey, this story is about discovering what truly matters in life.[11]

Productions

Wes is also involved in a variety of productions. He has hosted, directed and produced programs on OWN as well as PBS.

Coming Back with Wes Moore

Coming Back with Wes Moore, a series executive produced by author and former Army combat veteran Wes Moore, aired in three parts on consecutive Tuesdays beginning May 13, 2014, on PBS. The three episode series tells the story of Wes Moore’s search for answers to some of the most difficult questions related to returning home from war. The show follows the personal lives of different soldiers as they attempt to reintegrate back into society, establish new identities, and find new missions. Each episode focuses on a different stage of coming home: “Coming Back” (May 13), “Fitting In” (May 20) and “Moving Forward” (May 27). http://www.pbs.org/coming-back-with-wes-moore/home/ Episodes:

Episode 1: “Coming Back” (http://www.pbs.org/coming-back-with-wes-moore/episodes/episode-1-coming-back/)

Episode 2: Fitting In (http://www.pbs.org/coming-back-with-wes-moore/episodes/fitting-in/)

Episode 3: Moving Forward (http://www.pbs.org/coming-back-with-wes-moore/episodes/moving-forward/)

All the Difference

All the Difference is currently in production, scheduled to be released in 2016. All the Difference is a documentary which seeks to understand why many boys of color have difficulty transitioning in higher education and what can be done about it. The program has been filmed over 5 years and tells the stories of two young boys and their efforts to avoid the pitfalls of growing up in low-income, high risk Chicago communities and navigate higher education. The film is being made in cooperation with PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. http://www.nomadicpictures.org/film/all-the-difference/ (hyperlink)

News Analyst

Wes is a consistent news contributor to many publications including the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Baltimore Sun, The New York Times and many other publications. Wes regularly appears on various MSNBC programs including Hardball, Now with Alex Wagner, Rachel Maddow, PoliticsNation, Meet the Press, and Morning Joe.

Notable appearances also include:

Face the Nation

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

The Colbert Report

Real Time with Bill Maher

Veterans Activist

Wes is a very vocal advocate for serving those who served the nation overseas. He has worked with various veterans groups, such as the Iraq Afghanistan Veterans of America and Things We Read, and is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

Wes has also presented a TED talk at TEDSalon NY2014 titled How to Talk to Veterans About the War

Press


References

  1. ↑ Wes Moore (2003). Discovering Wes Moore. Random House. p. 6.
  2. 1 2 Wes Moore (@WesMoore1) (October 15, 2015). "What a way to end my birthday!! @MDDailyRecord Thanks for making it unforgettable!!". Twitter. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "About the Author", www.theotherwesmoore.com, accessed July 15, 2015.
  4. ↑ Moore, Wes. "Coming Back With Wes Moore". PBS.org. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  5. ↑ Moore, Wes. "BridgeEdu". BridgeEdu. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  6. ↑ Moore, Wes (11 January 2011). The Other Wes Moore. Random House Publishing Group. p. 250. ISBN 9780385528207. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  7. ↑ Moore, Wes (11 January 2011). The Other Wes Moore. Random House Publishing Group. p. 250. ISBN 9780385528207. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  8. ↑ Moore, Wes (11 January 2011). The Other Wes Moore. Random House Publishing Group. p. 250. ISBN 9780385528207. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  9. ↑ Moore, Wes. "Discovering Wes Moore". Penguinrandomhouse.com. Penguin Random House. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  10. ↑ Moore, Wes (13 January 2015). The Work. Random House Publishing. p. 272. ISBN 978-0812993578. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  11. ↑ Moore, Wes (10 November 2015). This Way Home. Random House Childrens Books. p. 256. ISBN 978-0385741699. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
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