Massey Award winner helped countless nurses reach their dreams

Growing up in the rural western North Carolina town of Franklin, Kathy Moore had two dreams: to study at UNC-Chapel Hill and to become a nurse.

Those dreams merged into a lifelong journey. From the day she enrolled in the UNC School of Nursing in the mid-1970s to her retirement as an assistant dean of the school in 2023, Moore has been a fixture in the Carolina nursing community, helping countless students live out their own dreams.

For her 45 years of service to Carolina, UNC Health and the broader community, Moore earned a 2025 C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Award — an honor that came as no surprise to anyone who knows her.

“Recently I was in a room with a group of students — both undergraduate and graduate — who were reflecting on their Carolina Nursing experience thus far in their respective programs,” wrote one Massey Award nominator. “I asked them what led them to decide on Carolina. Of the students present, over half responded ‘Kathy Moore.’”

At the nursing school, Moore worked with five deans and thousands of students, and she exemplified a student-centric approach. She described her role as assistant dean for student affairs as being “more of a joy than a job.”

With compassion and fierce advocacy, Moore guided students through their educational journey, from the application process to financial aid and beyond.

“Students are the soul of a university,” Moore said. “It’s incumbent upon us to provide not only educational programming but wraparound services to ensure that the student is holistically supported, that their needs are met, because no two students are alike. There’s no cookie-cutter approach that’s going to work when you’re trying to advocate for students or enhance their situation.”

Nursing students came to Moore with all sorts of issues — family crises, mental health needs or financial insecurity. Many students struggled to pay for essentials like groceries or textbooks, and she worked tirelessly to address their needs, often going above and beyond the duties of her job.

Fittingly, the student resource area and food pantry in Carrington Hall is named for Moore and her former colleague Maggie Miller. They and the student affairs team worked together to keep the pantry stocked with resources and to ensure students had 24-hour access to it. That kind of service to students embodies the spirit of the Massey Award, a recognition that Moore finds humbling.

“I don’t look at this award as my accomplishments. I really look at it as my accepting this on behalf of everybody at our school who provided students with comprehensive, holistic support,” Moore said. “To be selected is almost surreal because this is the preeminent award for service. To be of service is your duty and your obligation, so to be singled out for that is truly overwhelming and unbelievable. I still pinch myself.”

Even in retirement, Moore beams with pride when she talks about Carolina and its nursing school, which consistently ranks as one of the top programs in the country. The sheer joy she felt for being a Carolina nurse — that childhood dream — was evident to everyone who worked with her and helped inspire generations of new nurses.

“Whether it’s the town of Chapel Hill, the University, the School of Nursing or UNC Health, all those environments were phenomenal as places to live, to grow, to study and to make a career,” Moore said.

“I never considered going anywhere else. The mantra, to me, in choosing this phenomenal University, is that it is ‘of the people, by the people and for the people.’ And every experience I’ve had has epitomized that legacy and statement.”