Tony Young began his career as an educator and AVID Coordinator with the San Diego Unified School District. After a decade of service, Tony expanded his reach when he was elected to the San Diego City Council. As an elected official, he led the council in establishing San Diego’s first Fair Banking ordinance. Tony also fought to create the Gang Prevention & Intervention Commission. It is also important to note that he was the first President Pro Tempore of the San Diego City Council eventually becoming the first African American President of the Council. Tony was also selected by voters in three separate landslide victories.In 2013, Tony became the CEO of the American Red Cross in San Diego County. In this role, he directed a $12.7M fundraising campaign to address fire safety in vulnerable wildfires regions. In 2013, Tony founded Civic Link Strategies, a preeminent public affairs firm that provides strategic planning, government relations, coalition building, issue management, public relations, and reputation management services to clients in the San Diego region. Civic Link Strategies delivers measurable results to a diverse group of corporations, coalitions, trade associations, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.Simultaneously, Tony established RISE San Diego to advance urban leadership through dialogue-based civic engagement, dynamic nonprofit partnerships, and direct training and support to increase the capacity of urban residents to effect meaningful community change. Through RISE San Diego, Tony created the RISE Urban Leadership Fellows Program. as well as the RISE UPP Principal Leadership Program to establish a cadre of impactful leaders that promote change in urban communities. RISE San Diego was selected as the ‘2021 Black Owned Business of the Year’ by the San Diego Union Tribune.Tony has served on numerous boards and committees that have provided him with a unique insight into the needs of San Diego including:➛ San Diego Banking Reinvestment Taskforce➛ San Diego Downtown Partnership➛ San Diego Housing Authority➛ San Diego Metropolitan Transit Authority➛ San Diego Regional Airport Authority➛ San Diego Workforce Partnership➛ San Diego Airport Authority➛ San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)➛ San Diego Tourism Authority➛ California League of CitiesTony received his degree in socioeconomics from Howard University and teaching credentials from the University of San Diego. More recently, he graduated from the Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Education program.