(JACKSON, Miss.) – Two executive cabinet members who have been serving Jackson State University as interim appointees have been named permanent members of JSU’s leadership team.
Dr. Loretta A. Moore, who since 2013 has served as interim vice president for Research and Federal Relations and previously served as associate vice president for Research and Scholarly Engagement and interim associate dean for the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, has been named vice president for Research and Federal Relations.
Matthew Taylor, who joined JSU as associate general counsel in 2013 and soon took on the role of interim general counsel, has been named general counsel.
“Dr. Moore and Mr. Taylor have effectively led their respective divisions since taking on their leadership roles,” said JSU President Carolyn W. Meyers. “I believe in surrounding myself with talented people. I am confident these two leaders will continue to advance JSU’s mission of teaching, research and service.”
Moore joined JSU’s faculty 16 years ago as professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science. She has held positions at Auburn University, AT&T Bell Laboratories, and summer faculty appointments at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Army Research Laboratory, NASA Kennedy Space Center and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Moore’s current research is in the area of computational thinking and in the application of intelligent techniques to cyber security, visual analytics and visualization. She has received funding from agencies including the National Science Foundation, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Department of Energy – Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Army Research Laboratory, NASA Kennedy Space Center, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA Headquarters, and Jacobs Technology. Moore serves as a commissioner for the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET. She previously served as a member of the U.S. Army Science Board. Moore received her B.S. degree in Computer Science from Jackson State University and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from Illinois Institute of Technology.
Taylor holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Mississippi College and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Mississippi. The majority of his legal practice has been dedicated to complex civil litigation, including automobile liability, premises and security liability, products liability, medical malpractice, toxic tort and insurance coverage. Following several years as a partner with Scott Sullivan Streetman & Fox in Ridgeland, Taylor was a founding member of the firm of Gladden Ingram & Taylor in Madison. Most recently, Taylor has practiced in the medical malpractice litigation division of Morgan & Morgan, PA. Taylor has earned an AV Peer Review Rating by Martindale Hubbell, recognizing the highest rating for ethics and professional ability. In addition to his extensive corporate and litigation practice, Taylor has served as a continuing legal education speaker to the Mississippi Bar on the topics of ethics and trial practice. Taylor is a 2005 graduate of the International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy at Stanford University.