John Mooney
Chair, BRDG Board of Directors
A Message from BRDG Board Chairman; John Mooney, PhD
I’m honored to welcome you to our refreshed BRDG eNEWS as the new Chair of the BRDG Board of Directors, intent on continuing the leadership adeptly exercised by my predecessor, Bill Cousins.
Firstly, while we are steadfast in keeping BRDG’s first-generation college student participants at the center of all we do, it is our donors and volunteers who make it possible for us to fulfill our mission to enhance the college experience and career success of first-in-family college students who are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. So, I thank you for your past and continued support!
Being the first in a family to pursue a career in STEM – either through a corporate role or an entrepreneurial path – demands expertise, passion, and extraordinary grit. All of us at BRDG work to provide an environment and experiences that offer equal measures of wisdom, guidance, and support.
Today, BRDG operates three programs tailored to first-gen STEM students: our Professional Mentorship Program; a design-focused team competition known as our Innovation Challenge; and the BRDG Launchpad, a new initiative which offers qualifying teams the opportunity to advance their Innovation Challenge submission toward launching a viable start-up venture.
I’m also excited about our established and emerging partnerships that help expand awareness of BRDG and participants, including the upcoming 2026 SoCal TechCon conference. Developing additional relationships is key to opening future opportunities for internships, corporate sponsorships, job placement, mentors, and speakers. We are always open to discussing any opportunity to form a mutually beneficial partnership, and I thank all partners that have brought us where we are today as well as those who are helping us move forward.
Please explore all our communication channels to stay updated on the impact your engagement and contributions make possible at BRDG.
Once again, I thank you for your advocacy and considered support; together, we will continue to
develop our country’s next generation of STEM leaders.
Bio
Dr. John G. Mooney is a Professor Emeritus of Information Systems and Technology Management at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, a Fellow of the Association for Information Systems, and chairs the board of directors of BRDG and the external advisory board for Lero - Ireland’s National Software Research Centre. He is a former Academic Research Fellow at the MIT Sloan Center for Information Systems Research, Visiting Professor at the UCI Merage School of Business, and Associate Dean and Senior Lecturer at University College Dublin Schools of Business. Dr. Mooney holds a BS in Computer Science and a Master of Management Science from University College Dublin, Ireland, and a Ph.D. in Information Systems and Business Strategy from UC Irvine. His current research interests include IT-enabled business innovation, and business executive responsibilities for realizing value from digital technologies, including AI.
Dr. Mooney has received a number of teaching, research, and service awards. He was a co-founder and Non-Executive Director of RealEx Payments. He currently consults to senior management on IT-enabled innovation, information management, and leveraging AI.
In addition to his engagements with BRDG, John volunteers his time as a Docent, Lead Trail Boss, Lead Land Steward and Fire Watch monitor at the Irvine Ranch Conservancy and Orange County Parks, the Serra Food Pantry, and the San Juan Capistrano Community Emergency Response Team.
"I was a first generation STEM college student who experienced the challenges associated with successfully navigating the academic, administrative and social environment of college, and with how to best prepare for a successful professional career. Through my efforts at BRDG, I want to help other first generation STEM students to be even more successful in college and in their transitions to careers as leaders who want to create a better world."