Leigh Ann Moffett serves as Associate Vice President and Chief Risk Officer at Southern Methodist University (SMU), where she leads the Office of Risk Management. Her portfolio includes oversight of enterprise risk, business continuity, emergency preparedness, campus safety systems, physical security, protection of minors, and compliance initiatives. In this role, she advises senior leadership and coordinates university-wide efforts to enhance institutional resilience. Prior to assuming this position, she served as SMU’s Director of Emergency Management, where she led the university’s Emergency Operations Center during the COVID-19 pandemic and played a key role in pandemic planning and operational continuity.
Before joining SMU, Moffett spent 18 years at Baylor University in progressively responsible roles, including Occupational and Fire Safety Specialist, Fire Marshal, and Director of Emergency Management. During her tenure, she oversaw vulnerability assessments, incident action planning, campus-wide training, and emergency exercises, and developed all-hazards response strategies for a variety of campus scenarios and events.
Moffett is nationally recognized as a trainer and subject matter expert for the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4). She currently serves on the Disaster Resilient Universities (DRU) Advisory Committee and NCS4’s Intercollegiate Advisory Committee. Her professional affiliations include the University Risk Management and Insurance Association (URMIA), Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRI), and the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM).
She is a Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBP) through DRI and previously held certification as a Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS) through NFPA. Moffett holds an Associate of Applied Science in Environmental Compliance from Texas State Technical College, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Insurance and Risk Management, and a Master of Science in Information Systems—both from Baylor University.