Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio US Senate Candidate Bernie Moreno Doesn’t Hold An MBA, But Bio And Application Claimed He Does

Columbus, OH – New reporting from the Ohio Capital Journal found that Bernie Moreno is lying about having a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan. Though Moreno repeatedly claimed to have an MBA from the University of Michigan in “a car dealership application” with “his signature” and in Multiple different biographies, the truth is “the University of Michigan Office of Public Affairs on Monday said Moreno held only a bachelor’s degree in business” – not an MBA.

Ohio Capital Journal: Ohio US Senate candidate Bernie Moreno doesn’t hold an MBA, but bio and application claimed he does
Marty Schladen
September 11, 2024

• The claim that car dealer and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno held an MBA from the University of Michigan has appeared in both a car dealership application and in a short biography of Moreno when he joined the board of the Cleveland Foundation. However, a spokeswoman for the university on Monday said all Moreno has is a bachelor’s degree in business that was awarded in 1989.

• The first appearance of the claim Moreno held an MBA from Michigan came as part of a Nov. 25, 2011 application to open an Infiniti car dealership in Coral Gables, Florida. The document was entered into evidence as part of a Florida lawsuit and provided to the Capital Journal.

• It lists the now-57-year-old Moreno’s birthdate, his Westlake, Ohio address, his Social Security and driver’s license numbers, and it lists his academic credentials. It says that in 1985 he graduated from Pinecrest Academy in Florida, and that he received a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Michigan in 1988.

• Then it says, “Graduate Degree, 88-91, Univ. of Michigan, MBA, Business.”

• However, when asked what credentials Moreno had earned from the school, the University of Michigan Office of Public Affairs on Monday said Moreno held only a bachelor’s degree in business that was awarded with “High Distinction” on April 28, 1989.

• In another instance, the Moreno campaign said it didn’t know how a University of Michigan MBA was attributed to Moreno in 2014, when he joined the Cleveland Foundation Board of Directors. His bio said, “Moreno launched his career in the automotive industry after earning his Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan.”

• [Moreno’s campaign] didn’t respond to a question asking whether Moreno took any steps to correct the claim.

• A 2018 biography of Moreno while he chaired the Cleveland State University Board of Trustees said he held multiple degrees from Michigan. His bio at the time said, “Mr. Moreno holds a business degree and a liberal arts degree from the University of Michigan.”

• Moreno also appears to have claimed multiple degrees from the University of Michigan in an archived bio that appeared on the website of Mercedes Benz of North Olmstead.