Passionate about improving nursing leadership and training, Betty Irene Moore has spent a lifetime around innovation and entrepreneurship. She grew up in Los Gatos and earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from San Jose College. Afterwards Betty worked for the U.S. Rubber Company in San Francisco until her marriage to Gordon in 1950. Soon thereafter, the young couple moved to Pasadena where Gordon attended graduate school at the California Institute of Technology. In 1968, Gordon co-founded Intel Corporation, creator of the world's first microprocessor that jumpstarted the computer industry.

In September 2000, the couple established the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, which focuses its work on environmental conservation, science, and the San Francisco Bay area. It was Betty's vision and leadership that led the foundation to approve the 10-year Betty Irene Moore Nursing Initiative in 2003, which aims to improve patient safety and outcomes through nurse-led initiatives. She also serves on the board of El Camino Hospital in Mountain View and continues to volunteer at the Palo Alto Senior Day Care Center.

Both Betty and Gordon are active on several philanthropic and corporate boards. They reside in the Bay Area and in Hawaii, and have two sons and four grandchildren.

About the proposed School of Nursing

Graduates are expected to serve as educators, researchers and leaders of health care teams that advance patient care and safety, prevent and treat disease, and improve quality and access to health care.

• The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation will provide $100 million over the next 11 years to launch the school.
• A mix of public funding and philanthropic support will be required to fund the school long-term.
• Professional nursing degrees will be granted at the doctorate, masters and bachelor degree levels.
• First graduate students anticipated in the fall 2008. Full enrollment is projected at 456 students.
• Bachelor of science in nursing expected to be offered in 2010 or 2011.
• Scholarships, stipends and forgivable loans to be available for qualified students.
• Curriculum will emphasize interdisciplinary team training, research, technology and leadership.

For information, see www.ucdavis.edu/spotlight/0707/fact_sheet.html.