James Moore to serve as inaugural director of center for African American males

COLUMBUS, Ohio – James L. Moore III, a national expert on Black males in education, has been named the first director of the Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male at The Ohio State University. Created by the Office of Minority Affairs in 2006, it is one of the few academic centers in the United States to focus specifically on African American males.

Moore will expand the center's mission, which is to understand and facilitate academic achievement, as well as professional, leadership and personal development in pre-collegiate, undergraduate, and post-graduate African American males.

"I have great confidence that Dr. Moore has the vision and skill to lead the Bell Resource Center to a role as a major repository of theory and best practices related to the center's important mission," said Mac Stewart, Special Assistant to the President for Diversity and Vice Provost for Minority Affairs.

Additionally, Moore will emphasize research and evaluation related to African American males in education, the work place, athletics, the penal system, and other social domains.

"This is a very exciting time in my professional career," said Moore. "Being appointed the inaugural director of the Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male will allow me to focus my efforts on important national topics related to African American males, such as education, health, and employment. I am forever grateful to Vice Provost Stewart for extending this wonderful opportunity to me."

Moore is an associate professor of physical activity and educational services in the College of Education and Human Ecology, where he serves as coordinator of the School Counseling Program. He also holds a faculty appointment at the university's Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity and has a faculty affiliation with the Ohio Collaborative and the John Glenn School of Public Policy.

His research focuses on:

•The influence of educational professionals, such as school counselors, on the educational and career aspirations and school experiences of students of color (particularly African American males).

•Socio-cultural, familial, school, and community factors that support, enhance, or impede academic outcomes for K-16 African American students.

•Recruitment and retention issues of students of color, particularly African Americans enrolled in K-12 gifted education and those high-potential college students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM fields.

•Social, emotional, and psychological consequences of racial oppression for African American males and other people of color.

A nationally and internationally recognized researcher and scholar, in less than eight years Moore has published more than 70 publications and given more than 100 presentations throughout the United States and abroad. He has served as a consultant to school systems in seven states and the District of Columbia.

Among his many honors, he was named as one of 13 international Emerging Scholars by Phi Delta Kappa, Class of 2007-2008.

The day-to-day operations of the resource center will be managed by Todd Suddeth, program director.

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