Gwenna Mary Moss was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on June 11, 1937. She earned her BSc (Home Economics) from the University of Saskatchewan in 1959; and from 1959 to 1966, was employed as an extension specialist assisting specifically with 4-H and home economics programs. She left to pursue graduate education and received both her M.Sc. (1968) and PhD (1970) from the University of Wisconsin, majoring in extension education. From 1969-1971, Moss was first an Instructor, then Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Extension Education at the University of Wisconsin. In July 1971, Moss returned to the University of Saskatchewan as Associate Professor in Extension. She took a leave in 1975 to work on a Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funded project in Ghana. Moss was named Dean of the College of Home Economics in 1982 and, in 1986, she became Associate Vice-president (Academic) and served as Acting Vice-president (Academic) from 1990-1991. In August 2000, the Centre for Teaching Effectiveness was renamed The Gwenna Moss Teaching & Learning Centre.