Letters to a New Developer : What I Wish I Had Known When Starting My Development Career

Dan Moore

A New Mexico native, born and raised in Los Alamos, Dan began his career in 1974 with the Southwestern Advantage sales and leadership program while attending Harvard University. Moore paid his tuition by selling Southwestern Advantage products door-to-door. Upon graduating from Harvard with honors at the age of twenty, Dan was promoted to district sales manager. He continued his academic success by obtaining his MBA from Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, where he was an honors graduate and class speaker. Among other roles with Southwestern Family of Companies, Moore served as SWA vice president of marketing and was credited with modernizing the company’s sales school, product line, and mission. In 2007, he was named president of Southwestern Advantage, where he served until retiring in January 2023. Over the course of his forty-nine-year career, Dan has trained over 100,000 people on how to lead, sell, and achieve their life goals. His greatest advice for students is, “Have a why that’s focused on a cause that’s bigger than yourself.” Dan is a frequent lecturer at colleges and universities across North America and Europe and has traveled to fifty-nine countries. He has served as an adjunct faculty member at Owen Graduate School of Business and has hosted TEDx Nashville. In his spare time, Dan plays guitar and piano. He prioritizes health, fitness, and yoga. Dan completed twenty-four half-marathons after age fifty-one and the New York City Marathon when he was fifty-six, finishing in the top half of 46,000 runners. Dan and his wife, Maria, currently live in Nashville, TN.