Philadelphia, PA…. July 20, 2023…. The Board of Directors of the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia (WTCGP), a leading nonprofit membership-driven organization with a mission to bring growth, prosperity, and peace to businesses, communities, and neighborhoods in Greater Philadelphia and worldwide through global trade and investment, is pleased to announce the appointment of Thomas N. Young as the President and CEO effective August 1, 2023.  WTCGP President Linda Conlin retired in January 2023.

“I want to thank the entire Board of Directors and the Search Committee for its work over the last seven months in identifying Thomas as our next President and CEO.  I know Thomas will be an outstanding President and CEO.  Especially want to thank Linda Conlin for her leadership at the WTCGP over the last thirteen years and wish Linda the best in her well-earned retirement,” says Board Chair and Partner, KPMG, Joseph Scalio.

“The WTCGP Board of Directors is extremely excited about the public and private relationships which Thomas Young brings to our international network.  We are confident that Thomas’ leadership will elevate our influence and develop and grow our membership revenues and number of employees,” said Steven Bradley, Board Vice Chair, WTCGP and Principle, One-Digital.

“I am honored and humbled to be appointed new President and CEO of the WTCGP. I would like to thank the Board for their full support, and I look forward to leading this great organization,” said Young.
 
With more than a decade of experience in legislative affairs, policy advising and public engagement, Young joined the Board of Directors of WTCGP in September of 2022. As a WTCGP Board Member, Young also served on the Global Diversity Advisory Council and the Selling to the World program, which is focused on teaching, mentoring, and empowering Minority and Women-Owned businesses to become successful international exporters.
 
Young will transition from his current role as Senior Associate at Bellevue Strategies, a lobbying, advocacy, and strategic communications firm. During his tenure at Bellevue Strategies, Young assisted clients to secure over $27 million state funding for capital projects in the Greater Philadelphia area. Young has served as the liaison to the Chairperson of the Delaware River Port Authority, identifying procurement opportunities for a portfolio of businesses in the infrastructure and professional services industries, and planned, developed, and implemented government relations strategies and legislative agendas for clients at the local and state levels.

Young also has experience working with various political campaigns including Ken Lawrence for Montgomery County Commissioner, Donna Bullock for State Representative, and Lynne Abraham for Mayor.

Young’s early professional career began in sports when he played professional basketball in Hamburg, Germany, and after returning to the states in 2012, was a basketball coach at his alma mater, Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

​Young is an alumnus of Committee of Seventy’s Bucholz Fellows and serves on several boards, including the Police Athletic League (PAL) of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Outward Bound School.

Young holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he played basketball and earned All-American honors, player of the year honors, and led the team to the Division II National Championship game.

He lives in the Philadelphia area with his wife Melissa and son.

​About the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia
The World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia (WTCGP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit international trade services and membership organization, providing companies in Southeastern PA and Southern NJ with individual trade counseling, educational programs, market research, trade mission support, business networking events, and powerful connections to customers and partners worldwide. The WTCGP is also a member of the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) which consists of 320 members in ninety-two countries. Since 2002, WTCGP has helped small and medium-sized companies generate international export sales by a combined $2.3B - Increasing jobs in the region by over 29,000 and furthering its mission “to bring growth and prosperity to businesses, communities, and neighborhoods in Greater Philadelphia and worldwide.” wtcphila.org.