Meet the Interim Chief Diversity Officer

Dr. Elizabeth “Liz” Moore is the new interim CDO and she has vision… and a plan.

About Dr. Moore

Dr. Elizabeth Moore is Interim Chief Diversity Officer at Gallaudet University. Prior to that position, she was a professor at Gallaudet University Department of Social Work for 24 years. While teaching there, she was also a director of MSW Program for 12 years and was then the department chair for the last two years. Born and reared in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she attended W. & E. Martin School, an oral day school for Deaf and Hard of Hearing and then transferred to Pennsylvania School for Deaf (PSD) where she finally learned American Sign Language. Dr. Moore graduated with honors in 1977 and was a salutatorian. She went to Gallaudet University where she graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work. She also earned a Master of Social Work degree in 1994 and a doctorate degree in Special Education Administration in 2011. Dr. Moore has been involved in numerous advocacy and professional organizations since 1981 in different capacities and has published several articles and has lectured on cultural diversity issues among deaf populations.

Dr. Moore comes from a rich legacy of deaf and civil rights activism. Her father and uncle worked tirelessly alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (as seen in the video to the right) and her son is an Afghanistan war veteran.

Dr. Moore shared, “Rev. MartinLutherKing, Jr. is one of my heroes. I was lucky enough to meet several influential Black Americans. In the summer of 1987, I met Rosa Parks at the Black Family Reunion in Detroit, Michigan where I worked at Deaf Options as a mental health therapist. I also met the sister of Dr. King, in November 2016 (see photo below) at the Ebenezer Baptist Church where a group of Black Deaf seniors and I attended as part of the National Black Deaf Advocates Biennial Senior Citizens Reunion (that I helped coordinate) in Atlanta, Georgia.

I actually stood next to Senator Barack Obama years ago at Bowie State University where he helped promote several Maryland candidates’ campaigns. I went there immediately after participating in the recruitment efforts at the Bowie State University Department of Social Work Graduate School Open House where the coordinator told us, the university recruiters, about the political event. Obama would announce his plan for presidency soon later. Also, I was selected to be part of a group of Gallaudet representatives that were sent to Howard University to watch the former First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech. I am, indeed, fortunate.”

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