Faculty Focus: LaTrice Moore helps students turn business ideas into action

LaTrice Moore’s first foray into business was in elementary school where she was making bookmarks to sell to her classmates. She went on to make custom hair ribbons for the cheerleaders. Those early experiences were the genesis of her interest in creative strategy and consumer behavior, which would become the foundation of her career.

Moore is a Professor of Business Administration at Polk State College in her 19th year of teaching. Her course offerings have spanned business, management, marketing, and entrepreneurship, from associate-level to Bachelor of Applied Science.

Moore came to Polk State in 2007 and saw an institution deeply embedded in the community, where she could actually make a difference for students and where she could work with colleagues to shape programs that meet local needs.

“Business education gives people agency,” Moore said. “It equips individuals with the tools to take ownership of their financial futures, launch enterprises, and directly improve their local communities.”

That belief formed the basis of Polk State’s Credit Certificate in Entrepreneurship. Moore developed the program following her doctoral dissertation research into the attitudes of community college students towards entrepreneurship. She found that students had a lot of good ideas, but very little understanding of the business structures and financial planning required to make those ideas work.

The certificate provides students with a grounding in opportunity evaluation, financial modeling, risk management, legal, and customer acquisition. Moore also links students in with the local startup community through partnerships with Catapult Lakeland.

“Professor Moore helps students make the link between the business concepts they are taught and the decisions they will be making in their careers and in their communities,” said Polk State President Anastasios Kamoutsas. “Her work in entrepreneurship gives students the tools to assess an idea, to plan properly, and to contribute to the economy of Polk County.”

Moore teaches students to see assignments as a chance to put into practice what they are learning. Twanna Dewdney, a former student and Polk State Distinguished Alumna, is someone Moore says proves her point. She took the lessons in management, customer service, and business operations and applied them in her own business ventures. She is now a salon owner and a licensed real estate agent.

For Moore, alumni who go on to build businesses and serve their communities are the perfect example of how the learning that takes place in the classroom can have a real impact well beyond the course itself.

Her teaching also involves recognizing the circumstances the students bring with them. When a student who had been engaged in class started to fall behind, Moore said she reached out and asked the student if they were OK and what they needed at that moment to get through it.

They worked out a practical route forward which was in line with both the student’s wellbeing and their academic progress. The student completed the semester and remained part of the College.

“Beyond marketing frameworks, operational plans, and management theories, I tell my students that I hope Polk State College makes them a great asset to the communities they live in,” she said.

Moore added that she wants students to leave her classes with critical confidence, resilience, and personal accountability. She also wants them to understand that business is about relationships and people, and that setbacks can offer information to learn from and act on.