Q& A with Loren Moyé

Hawken is excited that Loren Moyé has joined our community and will serve as Interim Director of DEIJ at the Lyndhurst campus for the upcoming year.

Loren comes to us from San Francisco Day School, where he has served in various capacities since 1999 including math teacher, co-director of diversity, and dean of faculty. In addition to serving on the board of East Bay School for Boys, Loren has presented at national conferences; served on the faculty for the National SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) project; and was a primary cast member in The Color of Fear, an award-winning documentary on race relations in North America. Loren holds a BA in Communications from the University of Cincinnati and an MA in Private School Leadership from Teachers College of Columbia University.

Get to know more about Loren in the Q & A below!

My life experiences have prepared me for my role at Hawken in a variety of ways. First, civil rights were always being discussed by adults when I was young, so I was curious as to what they were talking about. I was lucky enough that outside of my family, my barber, the owner of the corner store, and my teachers would talk to me and share books that helped me make sense of the world. My friends and I had encounters with police and other authority figures that made me curious rather that bitter.

My work experiences have allowed me to interact with people of varying socioeconomic, educational, and racial backgrounds. I worked in a factory to save money for school, and some of those people are what I call “victims of school.” They had learning differences or family issues that weren’t recognized or acknowledged, and school was torture for them. Today those folks would get help with their learning issues or have teachers and school staff that would help them through personal issues.

When I became a teacher thirty years ago, I worked in poor communities, but the kids were brilliant. I had to constantly think about how to engage students who were second language learners, refugees, and kids whose families lived on the margins. They taught me a lot about teaching and broadened my perspectives on the world. Working in independent schools has taught be to be flexible, take risks, and manage my time because faculty and staff are asked to do so much. My role here spans the whole Lyndhurst campus, and my previous job was the same, albeit, on a much smaller campus.

My greatest challenge is being the poster child for introversion in a new extroverted environment that’s much larger than any school I’ve worked in. My greatest opportunity is learning something new every day. I try to stay in learning mode all the time. I’m sure I’ll learn a lot this year.

What excites me the most about the job is being a thought partner with colleagues. I love sharing ideas and swimming in an intellectual world, then watching those thoughts put into action.

Darnell Epps and Garet Libbey drew me to Hawken. My wife and I owe much of our successful landing in Cleveland to them. When they asked me about working here for the year, I said yes because the chance to work with them is an educational lottery ticket.

My sons inspire me. My oldest son loves to learn about his job and the world, and after talking to him I feel good about the next generation. My youngest son overcame injuries to play college football, and watching him persevere to achieve his goal is a reminder not to give up. Also, they are close friends, and I’m happy that’s true.

In my free time, I love to watch sports, exercise, read, and listen to music. I want to check out the jazz scene in Cleveland. I’ve already been to the Bop Stop and want that on my regular rotation of venues. My wife and I have visited the Natural History Museum; we also want to see plays and check out Lake Erie.

My friends would describe me as steadfast, reflective, and compassionate. 

One thing people don’t know about me is that I read a book about baseball every spring. This spring I read Our Team about the Cleveland Indians 1948 World Series win.

I rock climbed in Pinnacles National Park. One and done.

I don’t have a favorite book or movie that I can think of right now. A few of my favorite authors are Octavia Butler, Walter Mosley, and Henning Mankell.

Donuts are my guilty pleasure.

John Coltrane is my favorite artist.