Paul Young will lead the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) after a board vote Tuesday morning.
Young has been the director of the city of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for many years. He takes the post as DMC president and CEO after Jennifer Oswalt left in November.
The DMC hired Adams Keegan to search for Oswalt’s replacement. The local and national search found 30 applicants. The firm, ultimately, recommended Young.
DMC board member Joanne Massey, director of the city’s Office of Business Diversity and Compliance, said she’s worked with Young over the years and said he is a “model of effective leadership” and that he “drives outcomes with data to back up decisions.”
“We are thrilled to have you on board to lead the DMC into the future,” said DMC chairwoman Deni Reilly.
Young said he takes the post at a difficult time for Downtown in the wake of the effects of COVID-19.
“We have to help Downtown recover from a very, very tough period of time,” Young said. “Everyone has had a tough time but especially Downtown Memphis with a loss of visitors, and businesses have lost a lot of revenue. There’s a lot of work to do to recover and this will be an all-hands-on-deck effort.”
Young said he’ll work to ensure Downtown Memphis will reflect the character of the city of Memphis. He said he hopes to see increases in minority businesses Downtown and spending with minority businesses on Downtown projects.