There are a couple of good data explorer queries to help identify active users to consider for a moderation team.
Top posters in a given timeframe
Top users by likes received overall
Top users by likes received from a variety of people
Top users by likes received from users w lower trust level
Top quality users in last six months
Each of these links go back to a topic that discusses how they work; what they’re measuring. And there are many more queries in the rich sql-query tag that may be helpful in identifying potential moderators.
I also particularly like @Tris20’s list of characteristics to look for in a moderator.
Finally I’ll say that, as a perfectionist who’s finishing his first year leading a moderation team I’ve been part of for three years—it’s been difficult to recognize that there are other right ways of moderating. Learning from my team has not been easy but has definitely been good.