Joseph R. Moderow

Joseph Moderow was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 1948 to parents of German and Swedish descent. Life dealt an early blow when on his first birthday, Moderow was hospitalized with polio. He eventually recovered with few side effects.

His father, though uneducated, worked as a lab technician for Abbott Laboratories. However, over the years, his bitterness over the lack of opportunities combined with his rigid, domineering nature resulted in explosions of verbal and emotional abuse against his family, followed by weeks of silence and alienation.

A move to California while seeking a new beginning only temporarily delayed the inevitable family breakup. In high school, after failing to measure up to his father's standards, Moderow was declared a "disappointing failure who would never amount to anything." His father refused to speak to him for the remainder of his life.

Though lacking traditional core family nurturing and encouragement, Moderow was blessed by his mother's parents who stood in the gap, demonstrating the unconditional love, optimism, and faith that helped him overcome despair and loneliness. He enrolled in college, supporting his studies with a variety of part-time jobs. In 1968, he began working at United Parcel Service (UPS) as a package unloader and sorter. Little did he know then how important that opportunity would become.

In 1970, Moderow graduated from California State University at Fullerton with a degree in economics, becoming the first person in his family to earn a college degree. He married his fiancé, Karen, and moved into her family's home while she cared for her mother during the final stages of breast cancer. He then spent six years in the U.S. Army National Guard during the Vietnam War.

Returning from basic training, Moderow accepted a full-time position at UPS and enrolled in night law school. But the heavy workload, legal studies, and military duty on weekends took their toll. He developed ulcerative colitis that required treatment with a regimen of debilitating steroids. Passing the California Bar Exam in 1975 afforded new career opportunities at UPS. During his 35-year career there, Moderow had management assignments in operations, engineering, labor relations, and international trade.

Moderow served for two years during the Reagan administration as an appointed presidential exchange executive at the U.S. Department of Labor. Returning to UPS, he ended his career there with primary corporate responsibility for legal affairs, government affairs, and public relations. He served as general counsel to four UPS chairmen and CEOs, and he was a member of the UPS board of directors from 1988 to 2004.

However, Moderow's rapid career advancement was paralleled by adversity. His extended and increasing dependence on steroids and stress triggered clinical depression. The worsening colitis required nine surgeries within 13 months, the last one to remove his colon. Shortly thereafter, Moderow's 18-year-old son, Michael, suffered severe traumatic brain injury after he was in a car accident; he recovered after four and a half months in a coma.

Moderow and his wife focus on helping young people through education, training, and health initiatives. Moderow serves on the boards of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Shepherd Hospital, the Brain Injury Resource Foundation, and the Haggai Leadership Institute. He is a trustee of the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society and advocates for ethics in corporate governance at the Cal State Fullerton business school.

Recognizing that his life has been one of unusual opportunity as well as adversity, Moderow says, "A person's life cannot be defined in terms of achievement at work or at home, but by the character forged by both the blessings and challenges of living."