Family, traveling and finance made Dr. Jose Moreno who he is today

“Analyzing financial statements or the performance of a firm’s stock price makes me feel like Indiana Jones trying to find the Lost Ark.”

While not everyone finds finance exciting, Dr. Jose Moreno has a passion for the discipline and described obtaining his B.S. in Financial Management, M.S. in Finance and Ph.D. in Business with a concentration in Finance as “pure fun.” Moreno is currently the discipline coordinator and Tom Benson Endowed Chair in Banking and Finance at UIW’s H-E-B School of Business and Administration, and he has known for a long time that he wanted to be in this industry.

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and raised in Los Reyes, Michoacán, Mexico, Moreno knew in high school that he enjoyed both math and business, leading to a love of finance. He studied at Tecnológico de Monterrey (Monterrey Tech) in Guadalajara and the University of Western in Ontario, Canada, and worked as a credit analyst in the National Exterior Commerce Bank of Mexico prior to obtaining his Ph.D. from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2008 (then University of Texas Pan American).

While at UTRGV, he came to understand the importance of diversity more fully, even within the Hispanic culture.

“Hispanics from Mexico are not the same as Hispanics from Argentina or Chile,” he explained. “Hispanics from Texas are not the same as Hispanics from California. However, those things that differentiate us are not the things that define us. A Hispanic is defined by the family values and the joy for the life.”

Growing up in Los Reyes, Moreno learned those family values well, calling his parents and grandparents role models.

“They taught me the values and beliefs that I have today, and that I use every day to make decisions in my life,” said Moreno. “My mother taught me the value of work. She worked hard to help me to complete my college education. On the other hand, my father taught me that life is not only work, but life is being close with those that you love.”

His family also instilled in him a love of traveling. Moreno’s first trip abroad was when he was 10 years old, and he has been traveling ever since. He has visited 18 different countries, but there are many more places he still wants to visit. He loves the different experiences traveling can provide.

“I remember my first time trying to get directions to the Eiffel Tower in Paris without knowing a word in French and discovering that the French people don’t like to speak English (but they like Mexicans),” Moreno said. But he loved it. “My favorite travel experiences are the ones where I have been pushed out of my comfort zone.”

Moreno has absorbed countless lessons during his time studying and teaching in different countries. He has had the opportunity to teach in Mexico, France, Germany and Austria, in addition to the U.S. He believes that teaching is about helping students become well-rounded people, which means keeping them engaged in the classroom and preparing them for life beyond college.

“I am a firm believer that the classroom should be focused on the students and their learning needs,” said Moreno. “Students are similar everywhere, but what makes them different in the classroom is the level of engagement they have, and part of my job is trying to keep that engagement. Also, it is part of my job to prepare them not only for their future careers, but also for their future development as a complete human being.”

Moreno arrived at UIW as an associate professor of Finance and Economics in 2008 before being promoted to his current role in 2020. Being a member of the Hispanic community and serving students in a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Moreno takes his mentorship role seriously. He wants his students to work hard and do their best.

“My only advice for my students every semester is that there is no class content difficult enough that it can’t be learned with hard work and a lot of practice,” said Moreno. “Also, the more knowledge you share with your peers, the more friends you will have and a better learning experience you will get.”

Throughout his 13 years on the corner of Broadway and Hildebrand, Moreno said, the reasons that brought him to UIW are still what makes it such a special place.

“What originally attracted me to UIW was the collegiality and kindness of all the people I knew during my first visit. And after all these years, I can reaffirm that it is the people that make UIW a great place. The UIW community (Sisters, students, teachers, staff) is the heart of the living Mission of this University.”