Grace G. Young

Grace G. Young was appointed director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism (PRT) in December, 1993 by Governor Carroll Campbell. Since her appointment, she has restructured the agency in a move to unify, streamline and position the agency for tourism-related economic development and quality of life. The agency's new mission is to help improve the economic well-being and quality of life for South Carolinians by promoting state, national and international tourism, developing tourism/entertainment related business, and conserving our unique community, cultural and physical environments. To carry out this mission she oversees the design and administration of agency programs in four functional areas: tourism marketing, business and community development, statewide parks system and administrative services.

Grace Young has a diverse background in economic development. Prior to her current position at PRT, she served as Founder and President of Enterprise Development, Incorporated (EDI) of South Carolina, a non-profit firm created as a spin-off from the South Carolina State Development Board, now part of the State Department of Commerce. EDI's mission is to identify, create and develop strategic initiatives and business resources that support the state's efforts to achieve economic parity with its neighboring states.

Prior to this, Young also served as Associate Director in charge of the Business Development and Assistance Division of the South Carolina Development Board. This division assisted with the expansion of existing businesses in South Carolina as well as the start-up of new businesses.

A native of Great Falls, South Carolina, Young is a 1971 graduate of Winthrop College with a bachelor's degree. She is active in the South Carolina Developers Association as well as other community and business organizations. She is a member of the Small Business Administration Advisory Council, the Winthrop College Board of Visitors, the Governor's Job Training Council and the State Committee on Apprenticeship. Young also serves on the board of directors of Regional Technology Strategies, Incorporated of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Young was the 1985 recipient of he SBA's "South Carolina Women in Business Advocate of the Year" and a member of the advisory board of Women in Economic Development, a Ford Foundation project. She was recognized as one of 1988's Ten for the Future for Columbia, South Carolina.

Grace Young is a licensed securities broker/dealer principal.