Christene Moss

As a state nurse surveyor for the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services, where she ensures that long-term care facilities adhere to state and federal regulations, Christene Chadwick Darden Moss continues the caregiving role she learned from her mother.

"She always took care of people and taught us to volunteer and help others," said Moss, adding that she credits her mother, who earned a GED after rearing 12 children, for her respect for education. "My mother played a role in my accomplishments. She would always push her children to do well and believed in college education," said Moss.

One of the first African-Americans to earn a nursing degree from TCC, Moss has since earned a Bachelor of Science in sociology from Texas Wesleyan College and a Master of Science in hospital administration from Texas Woman's University. She also received her long-term care administration license from Dallas' El Centro College.

Moss, active in numerous community organizations, is vice president of the board of trustees for the Fort Worth Independent School District, where she has served since 1990. Her commitment to education was recognized in 2005, when an east side school was renamed the Christene C. Moss Elementary School.

By Rita L.B. Parson