Kelly Moore BSGE 1991: World traveler and problem solver

Most engineers barely have time to study for all of their classes. Others learn a second language, study abroad, and participate in extracurricular activities. Kelly Moore is one of the extraordinary people in the latter group. Moore graduated with her bachelors in General Engineering (since renamed Systems Engineering and Design) and a minor in Japanese studies in 1991. 

Today Moore is a solutions architect at Verizon in Miami, Florida. Moore says of her job, “We have a relationship with our customers and we work with them to solve their communication problems… We’re there to help them with a variety of our products. We probably have a thousand different solutions that we can offer our customers. It’s my job to be an expert in all of our products, so that when we meet with our clients, we can help them make wise business decisions.”

Moore says she chose ISE “because it allowed us to have a broader variety of experiences and study.” She says, “Being in General Engineering [the major now known as Systems Engineering and Design] was very freeing because they encouraged independent thought and doing things on your own.” She also received the General Assembly Scholarship, which helped her pay for school. 

Preparing and presenting her Senior Design Project, helped Moore prepare for her current career. She says her group was “asked by General Electric Appliances Division to redesign the heating elements on a clothes dryer. It’s something that was fun because it was tangible.” Moore’s group designed the dryer to be less expensive and easier to manufacture. 

At Illinois, Moore was involved in a Japanese studies club, Panhellenic counsel, and Orange Crush. She worked several part-time jobs and was the social chair of her sorority Kappa Delta. She says, “There was so much to do. Illinois had so much to offer. Meeting new people outside of where I grew up was awesome. That was definitely the best part of being at the U of I.” Moore also spent a semester abroad in Japan learning the language and culture. Even Moore herself says, “I am surprised with my engineering workload that I was able to do so much.”

Right out of college, Moore began working for MCI (later bought by Verizon in 2006) in their International Network Engineering Department.

Working for MCI, Moore was able to travel to the far east twice a year. She went everywhere from Japan to Australia to New Zealand. While traveling, she says, “I always had some free time. I was able to reconnect with the host families that I lived with in Japan” during a high-school visit.  

At Verizon, Moore says, “It’s a huge company but they’re very engaged and ethical.” Not only does Verizon try to reinforce ethics in the workplace, but they also have the Verizon Foundation. The Foundation focuses on technology accessibility and education. Moore says, “They will match employee donations to colleges, high schools, up to a certain amount… They are really focusing on trying to bridge the digital divide that is happening across America.” For example, a student from a low-income family might have to turn in their homework online, but they may not have a computer or Internet access at home. Moore says, “Verizon is trying to help in various ways through different programs.”

Today, Moore has two children, a daughter who is a junior in high school and a son who is a freshman at Florida State.  

Moore recently returned to Illinois to give a presentation for ISE. She says, “I loved all of the development north of Green.  Those new buildings make being an engineering major at the U of I something special…. I loved seeing all of the growth within the engineering campus. I think that’s amazing.”

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