After His Son’s Traumatic Experience, Roy Moore Took Bullying Head-On

When his son became the target of cyberbullying, Roy Moore (MBA ‘86) found himself facing a challenge that no amount of business training had prepared him for.

This crisis was one that nearly cost him his son’s life and ignited a mission that would eventually grow into Be Strong, a nonprofit focused on preventing bullying, which now reaches more than 2 million students annually across 4,000 schools nationwide.

Moore, a seasoned entrepreneur and Darden School of Business graduate, channeled both personal pain and professional insight into action. “I reached out to organizations that claimed to help,” he recalled. “But most couldn’t tell me the first thing to actually do as a parent.”

So he built something that could.

Be Strong offers evidence-based tools for addressing anxiety, depression, bullying and suicidal ideation, delivered through a peer-to-peer model that empowers students to support one another.

“The students already know who’s struggling. They know who’s sitting alone at lunch,” said Moore. “We just give them the tools and structure to take action.”

Backed by Moore’s business acumen and shaped by lessons he first internalized at Darden – listening with intention, leading with integrity, thinking critically while fostering community – Be Strong has become a movement grounded in hope and belonging.

“What people need most is to feel known, loved and that they belong,” he said. “If you can give someone that, you’ve already begun share a future worth living, thereby saving a life.”

Moore’s story is rooted in values he carried with him from the classroom to the boardroom: integrity, humility, faithfulness and generosity.

“Your integrity can’t be for sale,” he said. “Faithfulness is when your words and actions match. That’s what builds trust in any organization.”

He has since stepped away from day-to-day operations at Be Strong, but the mission, to bring hope, health and healing to students, lives on.

These days, Moore remains active across several boards and ventures and is exploring a future personal platform focused on faith, leadership and entrepreneurship. But the lessons from Be Strong – and from Darden – continue to guide his work.

“You don’t have to see eye-to-eye to walk shoulder-to-shoulder,” Moore said. “That’s something I learned at Darden. And it’s something we need more of in the world right now.”