September 17, 2021
Michael B. Moore, Dickinson College 2020 Honorary Degree recipient of Doctor of Public History
September 17, 2021
MICHAEL B. MOORE
Dickinson 2020 Honorary Degree Recipient of Doctor of Public History
Michael Boulware Moore built a successful career in brand management at Coca-Cola and at Kraft, where he oversaw the iconic Coca-Cola and Jell-O gelatin brands. He went on to became chairman and CEO of Glory Foods—the leader in Southern, seasoned foods—led The Brand Farm, a boutique marketing consulting practice and served in multiple C-suite corporate roles. A thought-leader on brand strategy, consumer behavior, social justice and African American history, Moore most recently was founding CEO of the International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston, South Carolina, which is scheduled to open in 2022.
The IAAM will be located on the former Gadsden’s Wharf, the predominant site of arrival for enslaved Africans who were taken from West Africa, entered North America in Charleston, endured hardship and cruelty, and then contributed so significantly to the greatness of America. Moore led the IAAM’s $100 million capital fundraising effort, recruited a world-class staff and was responsible for the development of the museum experience, which will tell important narratives that have been overlooked in most history books and promote compassion and empathy across all races and ethnicities. The museum is expected to open in 2022.
Moore’s work is informed by his own family history. He is the great-great-grandson of Robert Smalls, the Civil War hero who liberated himself and his family by commandeering the Planter steamer ship in Charleston Harbor in 1862 and who served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives during Reconstruction. Moore also is the great-grandson of attorney Samuel Jones Bampfield, a Charlestonian who was a leading businessman, clerk of court and state legislator. Additionally, Moore’s cousin, the Honorable Harold S. Boulware Sr., was a South Carolina judge who served with Thurgood Marshall on the legal team that won the landmark Supreme Court case, Brown vs. Board of Education.
“My ancestors arrived at Gadsden’s Wharf, and I am proud to have played a role in creating a museum and memorial that commemorates their lives and the lives of the tens of thousands of others who took their first steps into America on that hallowed ground,” Moore said.
Moore is the author of Bridging the Gaps: The Love of Marketing, an Amazon bestseller on brand strategy and consumer behavior, and he writes and speaks frequently about issues of social justice and African American history. Currently, Moore is the VP, Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Blackbaud, the world’s leading cloud software company. He serves on the boards of St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Massachusetts, and Nation United Foundation He is an advisor to The National Civil War Museum and Reconstruction Beaufort.