Paul Young

Board Member

Paul A. Young is the President and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) where he leads the DMC in driving the City of Memphis Downtown’s role as the economic, cultural, and governmental core of the city and county. The DMC is funded by an assessment on commercial property in the Central Business Improvement District (CBID), which is reinvested into funding incentives and activations designed to support the growth of both the Downtown’s population and appraised commercial property values.

Mr. Young recently served as the Director of the City of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development (HCD) which is responsible for coordinating community and economic development projects and initiatives throughout the City of Memphis. The agency has an annual budget of over $16 million and is the agency that receives federal entitlement funds on behalf of the City. With over 80 employees, Mr. Young helped to direct the programs and services of the agency and served as the point person for major development initiatives for the City.

Mr. Young is an accomplished professional with over 10 years of experience in urban planning, government affairs, and real estate finance. He successfully led initiatives and programs that have made a significant impact in the community, including regional planning for green spaces and transportation, sustainability programs, affordable housing developments, and legislative initiatives to name a few. He has diverse background having worked in private, non-profit and government sectors, providing a unique perspective and skill set. Solution oriented leader that uses effective communication and consensus building to achieve positive outcomes.

Previously, Mr. Young served as Director of Legislative Affairs in the Mayor’s Office of Shelby County Government (TN). In this role, he was responsible for advocating the county’s interest on the federal, state and local level by communicating the strategic priorities and policy direction of Shelby County Government to the Tennessee Congressional and State Legislative delegations as well as local regional entities. He also served as the Administrator for the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Sustainability, which is charged with the implementation and oversight of a strategic framework for action on green initiatives in the City of Memphis and Shelby County. Other positions that Mr. Young has held include: Legislative Liaison for the Shelby County Office of Legislative Affairs; Financial Analyst with Community Capital (Memphis, TN); Assistant Program Officer for Local Initiatives Support Corporation (New York, NY); and Associate Planner for the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development.

Mr. Young holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and a Masters of City and Regional Planning and Masters of Science in Business Administration from the University of Memphis.

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