Wes Moore
Born 1978 · Age 47
American author, businessman, former U.S. Army officer and politician; Rhodes Scholar, best-selling author, former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, and 63rd governor of Maryland (since 2023).
Compare Your Trajectory
See how your career milestones stack up against Wes Moore and other industry leaders.
Life & Career Timeline
Birth
Born in Takoma Park, Maryland to William Westley Moore Jr. and Joy Thomas Moore.
Father's death
Father William Westley Moore Jr. died of acute epiglottitis when Wes was three.
Family moves to the Bronx
His mother moved Wes and his sisters to the Bronx to live with her parents.
Enrolled at Valley Forge Military Academy (approx.)
Following falling grades and involvement in petty crime, his mother enrolled him at Valley Forge Military Academy (attendance period included 1991–1998).
Associate degree and Army commission
Graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Valley Forge with an Associate of Arts and completed the Army early commissioning program; appointed second lieutenant in U.S. Army Military Intelligence (Army Reserve).
Intern for Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke
Interned in the Baltimore mayor's office (1998–1999).
Riverdale Country School attendance (prior)
Attended Riverdale Country School in the Bronx prior to Valley Forge (attendance years not fully specified).
Named a Rhodes Scholar
Awarded a Rhodes Scholarship (Johns Hopkins' first Black Rhodes Scholar noted in some sources).
Matriculated at Wolfson College, Oxford
Began postgraduate studies at Wolfson College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
Graduated Johns Hopkins University (B.A.)
Graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in International Relations and Economics; played wide receiver for the Johns Hopkins football team and joined honor societies.
Interned at Department of Homeland Security (approx.)
Served an internship under DHS Secretary Tom Ridge (date cited as during early career prior to Army activation).
Earned master's degree from Oxford
Completed Master of Letters (M.Litt) in international relations; thesis: 'Rise and Ramifications of Radical Islam in the Western Hemisphere.'
Activated after 9/11; deployed to Afghanistan
Activated in the U.S. Army and deployed to Afghanistan as part of the 82nd Airborne Division (served 2005–2006), attained rank of captain while leading soldiers in combat.
Eloped in Las Vegas
Eloped with Dawn Flythe while on brief leave from Afghanistan; married officially later in 2007.
Named a White House Fellow
Named a White House Fellow serving in the office of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (class of 2006–2007).
Worked at Deutsche Bank (earlier finance role)
Held an investment banking role at Deutsche Bank (reported to be in Manhattan or London in different sources).
Investment banker at Citigroup (2007–2012)
Worked in finance at Citigroup (text also references Deutsche Bank earlier in career).
Official wedding ceremony
Wes Moore and Dawn Flythe held an official wedding ceremony on July 6, 2007.
Named to Crain's '40 Under 40'
Included on Crain's New York Business '40 Under 40' list.
Founded Omari Productions
Started a television production company to create content for networks including OWN, PBS, HBO, and NBC.
Hosted 'Beyond Belief' on OWN (approx.)
Hosted the show Beyond Belief on the Oprah Winfrey Network (specific dates not provided in source text).
Published 'The Other Wes Moore'
First book, The Other Wes Moore, published by Spiegel & Grau; became a bestselling memoir and assigned reading in schools.
Contributed to major publications
Was a contributor to outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, The Baltimore Sun, and The New York Times during his career in the 2000s–2010s.
Featured on Time magazine cover
Featured with other Afghanistan and Iraq veterans on the cover under 'The New Greatest Generation'.
PBS executive producer/writer credit(s)
Served as executive producer and writer for PBS projects including 'Coming Back with Wes Moore' (2014 credits cited) and later work for public television.
Announced film development with Oprah
In December 2012 he announced The Other Wes Moore would be developed into a feature film with Oprah Winfrey as executive producer.
Controversy: homestead property tax credits (2013 report)
A Baltimore Sun investigation alleged improper receipt of homestead property tax credits and owed back taxes; Moore responded he wanted to pay what he owed immediately.
Co-founded Baltimore Corps (approx.)
Reported co-founder relationship with Fagan Harris and Baltimore Corps; later Harris became Moore's chief of staff. (Approx. founding ~2013 with moderate confidence.)
Published 'Discovering Wes Moore' (YA)
Ember published his young-adult adaptation of his memoir.
Founded BridgeEdU
Launched BridgeEdU to support students' transition to college; participating students paid $500 into the program.
Commencement speaker at Utah Valley University
Served as UVU commencement speaker for the class of 2014.
Produced 'Coming Back with Wes Moore' (PBS)
Produced a three-part PBS series following returning veterans.
Public commentary on Baltimore protests
Following the 2015 Freddie Gray protests, Moore publicly commented that the demonstrations were 'a long time coming' and urged systemic redress.
Spoke at 2008 DNC earlier
Note: earlier in his public service timeline he gave a speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention supporting Barack Obama (event occurred in 2008).
Published 'The Work'
Authored his third book, The Work: Searching for a Life That Matters (published January 2015).
Started Future City (radio) show
Launched an interview-based talk show 'Future City' on WYPR (September 2016).
Launched 'Future City' on WYPR
Started an interview-based monthly talk show with Baltimore public radio station WYPR.
Produced 'All the Difference' (PBS documentary)
Produced a PBS documentary following two African-American men from the South Side of Chicago from high school through college.
Published 'This Way Home' (YA novel)
Published a young-adult novel about a high-school basketball player confronting local gang recruitment attempts.
Became CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation
Named CEO of Robin Hood Foundation, a major NYC anti-poverty nonprofit (served June 2017–May 2021).
BridgeEdU struggles reported
BridgeEdU struggled financially and had mixed results for students; later acquired by Edquity (2019).
BridgeEdU acquired by Edquity
BridgeEdU was acquired by student financial services company Edquity (Wikipedia cites 2019; governor page cites 2018).
Robin Hood fundraising during COVID-19
Under Moore's leadership Robin Hood raised over $650 million during his tenure, including $230 million in 2020 to respond to pandemic needs.
Published 'Five Days' (with Erica L. Green)
Co-authored Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City about the 2015 Baltimore protests.
Named to Under Armour board of directors
Appointed to Under Armour's board (served September 2020–November 2022).
Consulted on Maryland 'black agenda'
Speaker Adrienne A. Jones consulted Moore (January 2021) to craft a 'black agenda' on housing, health, banking and related issues.
Named to Baltimore mayor-elect Brandon Scott's transition team
Appointed to the transition team for Baltimore mayor-elect Brandon Scott (October 2020 appointment actually; included here to reflect ongoing political involvement).
Stepped down as Robin Hood CEO
Announced departure as CEO of Robin Hood Foundation to pursue other endeavors; left in May 2021.
Considered run for Maryland governor
Announced he was considering a run for Maryland governor in the 2022 election.
Launched gubernatorial campaign
Officially launched his campaign for Governor of Maryland emphasizing 'work, wages, and wealth' and the slogan 'leave no one behind.'
Settled outstanding Baltimore bills
Settled previously reported outstanding Baltimore city bills (water/sewer) shortly after the October 2022 article.
Left Green Thumb Industries board
Departed Green Thumb Industries' board in March 2022 amid questions about outside connections and potential conflicts of interest.
Campaign endorsements (primary)
During the Democratic primary he was endorsed by Steny Hoyer, Angela Alsobrooks, Oprah Winfrey, former Gov. Parris Glendening, and organizations including the Maryland State Education Association and VoteVets.
Filed complaint against John King Jr. campaign
Filed a complaint with the Maryland State Board of Elections alleging an orchestrated smear campaign; implicated campaign denied responsibility.
Won Democratic primary for governor
Won the Democratic primary with 32.4% of the vote, defeating Tom Perez and Peter Franchot among others.
Controversy: delinquent Baltimore utility bills reported
Baltimore Brew reported he owed $21,200 in unpaid water and sewage charges dating from March 2021; he settled the bills shortly after the report.
Became first Black governor of Maryland
By winning the 2022 election, Moore became Maryland's first African-American governor and the third African-American person elected governor of any U.S. state.
Resigned from Under Armour board
Resigned from Under Armour's board shortly after becoming governor-elect (resignation announced November 2022).
Elected Governor of Maryland
Defeated Republican Dan Cox in the general election; became Maryland's first Black governor and third African-American elected governor in U.S. history.
Elected finance chair of the Democratic Governors Association
Elected to serve as finance chair of the DGA in December 2022.
Finalized blind trust
Finalized a blind trust in May 2023, becoming the first Maryland governor since Bob Ehrlich to have one.
Assembled 26-member cabinet (announcements began)
Began announcing nominations for his cabinet on Nov 14, 2022 and finished announcing nominees by April 12, 2023; cabinet composition noted (12 women, 14 people of color).
Testified for administration bills
Became the first Maryland governor since Martin O'Malley to personally testify for his administration's bills; pursued priorities including a 'service year' option, housing regulation reforms, and military family support.
Inaugurated as 63rd Governor of Maryland
Sworn in on January 18, 2023; took oath on a Bible owned by Frederick Douglass and his grandfather's Bible; participated in wreath-laying at Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial the morning before.
Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse response
Responded to the Port of Baltimore disruption after the Key Bridge collapse, supported and signed legislation providing financial assistance to workers and businesses; urged federal funding for replacement.
NYT report on Bronze Star discrepancy
The New York Times reported in August 2024 that Moore had falsely claimed the Bronze Star on a 2006 fellowship application; Moore described it as an 'honest mistake'.
Bronze Star Medal awarded
Following public scrutiny about earlier claims, Moore was formally awarded the Bronze Star Medal in December 2024.
Signed law requiring future governors to use blind trusts
In May 2025 signed a bill requiring future Maryland governors to put assets into blind trusts or sign agreements to avoid participating in decisions affecting their business interests.
Key Achievement Ages
Explore what Wes Moore and others achieved at these notable ages:
Similar Trajectories
Alexis Ohanian
Born 1983 · Age 42
American internet entrepreneur and investor; co-founder of Reddit, co-founder of Initialized Capital, founder of Seven Seven Six (776), investor and advocate for open internet and paternity leave. Married to Serena Williams; based in Florida.
Brian Armstrong
Born 1983 · Age 42
American software engineer, entrepreneur and investor; co‑founder & CEO of Coinbase, philanthropist and advocate for crypto regulation.
Eric André
Born 1983 · Age 42
American comedian, actor, writer, producer, television host and musician best known as creator/host of The Eric Andre Show and for roles in Man Seeking Woman, Disenchantment, and films including The Lion King (2019).
Daniel Ek
Born 1983 · Age 42
Swedish entrepreneur and technologist; co-founder and CEO of Spotify; investor and co-founder in healthtech and deep-tech ventures (Neko Health, Prima Materia).
Alexis Madrigal
Born 1983 · Age 42
American journalist, staff writer and editor who has written for Wired and The Atlantic, co‑founder of the COVID Tracking Project, author of Powering the Dream, and co-host of KQED's Forum.
Drew Houston
Born 1983 · Age 42
American internet entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of Dropbox, known for building Dropbox into a major cloud-storage and collaboration company and serving on Facebook's (Meta) board.