Associate Professor — Political Science at Spelman College

Larry Moss is an associate professor and visiting lecturer in Communications at Georgia State University and a founding member of the Urban Debate League. Dr. Moss began his academic career teaching at Howard University and Atlanta University. For twelve years he left the world of college life and devoted his professional efforts to the Atlanta Public Schools (APS). In his role as Magnet Program coordinator for APS, Dr. Moss worked closely with the pre-law and moot court programs at D.M. Therrell High School in Atlanta. During this time, Larry Moss began the Therrell High School Debate Program.

Immediately recognizing the value of debate pedagogy, Dr. Moss encouraged the development of debate programs at other Atlanta City schools. His zealous commitment to debate pedagogy prodded more and more teachers to learn to become debate coaches. Within a few years, a thriving partnership between Emory University’s Barkley Forum and Atlanta Public Schools had generated over ten new debate programs and a dozen new debate coaches in the secondary schools of the Atlanta Public School systems. He also helped to foster the development and growth of the Atlanta Middle School debate program. As a result of his excellent work in founding the Atlanta Urban Debate League, Dr. Moss became a consultant to the Open Society Institute (OSI) for their UDL expansion of this effective education reform movement.

Prior to his commitment to improving public education, Dr. Moss earned a national reputation for his public policy scholarship on issues of criminal justice, prison reform. In 1977, he authored a book on the role of minority political power and policing, Black Political Ascendancy in Urban Centers and Black Control of the Police Function. He has worked as researcher, advisor, and administrator on nearly 10 million dollars in research grants. He has been honored by many different organizations in many different fields including debate foundations, Bar Associations, and community groups. His life is rich with scholarly achievement and public service for the purpose of improving opportunities and increasing responsibility for those society tends to forget. His excellent research record combined with his experience in the Atlanta Public Schools makes Dr. Moss an important component of the UDLs for years to come.