See Our Accomplishments of FY23

YPC showed great strength and growth during our Fiscal Year 2023! In collaboration with our Advisory Board, we’ve developed a report that encompasses our
council’s activities, noteworthy accomplishments, and collaborations from July 2022 to June 2023.

You can find our YPC 2023 Engagement Report here. Accompanying this, each of our council’s Advisory Board members have provided some insight into their experience as Co-Chairs of the board’s committees below!

Civic Engagement Co-Chairs

This year, the Civic Engagement Committee showcased YPC as Philadelphia’s premier organization for young professionals to have meaningful and thoughtful discussions about Philadelphia’s future.

Gun violence continues to inflict pain on too many Philadelphians—particularly our young people. The Civic Engagement Committee worked to ensure that we had a thoughtful, sensitive, and informed conversation about this important issue. Erica Atwood, Senior Director for Criminal Justice and Public Safety, City of Philadelphia, spoke to the Young Professionals Council about the city’s strategy to combat gun violence.

The 2023 Philadelphia Democratic primary for municipal races was an important inflection point for the city, and YPC was at the forefront of connecting the young professional community of Philadelphia to candidates for office. A delegation of YPC members attended a closed-door mayoral candidate forum. In April, several YPC members were in the studio audience for the Chamber’s televised Democratic Mayoral Debate.

Finally, the Civic Engagement committee collaborated with the Chamber’s Inclusive Neighborhood Growth Action Team to plan and assist in hosting a City Council At-Large Candidates Forum. YPC members wrote some questions asked to the candidates, and YPC members moderated the conversation. This was a wonderful opportunity to hear directly from the candidates on their policy positions and hear them speak about their vision to grow Philadelphia.

We are proud of the civic engagement opportunities that have been provided to YPC members over the past year, and we look forward to building upon this momentum to center young professionals in our region’s important conversations.

Events Committee Co-Chairs

It was evident young professionals were ready to show up and network this year! There were many fun and informative sold-out networking events this fiscal year— such as networking at Live! Casino, Museum of Illusions, South Bowl, and visiting the new Wells Fargo Center Assembly Room.

It was great seeing old and new faces at these events. The committee underwent some changes this year— a new Co-Chair and many new committee members. We want to thank all the members who’ve offered great ideas and who showed up to our meetings. We are going into another year excited for what is to come— cheers to another year of networking with the amazing young professionals in Philadelphia!

Membership Committee Co-Chairs

What an incredible year it has been! I am amazed by the response we’ve received for the YPC 101s that we’ve run over the past year, especially after holding one of our most highly-attended sessions in the spring. These events truly embody the spirit of our committee, providing newcomers with a solid foundation for their YPC journey. I want to extend a special note of gratitude to every committee member, board member, and Chamber staff who contributed.

Reflecting on the Membership’s engagement with the Council at large, we have made progress in building bridges and fostering connections both within the committee and throughout the general body. We’re excited to take engagement and membership to the next level. Additionally, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to my counterpart, Cam Robinson. Working with him has been an incredible experience. His energy and endless ideas have made leading the Membership Committee a great experience.

To our committee members, thank you again for your support, you have played a crucial role in making this year a success. We could not have done it without you.

Basil “Bas” Jackson,
Growth Operations Manager,
Vanta

Being a Co-Chair of the Membership Committee has been a great and rewarding experience. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and guiding up-and-coming young professionals and learning from established leaders. Some of these leaders played a role in my favorite Chamber event of the year, the Democratic mayoral candidate debate. Being able to attend the debate and represent as a YPC board member and a membership committee Co-Chair was of the utmost importance to me. We are the next generation to inherit Philadelphia, and we had the opportunity for our voices to be heard. This past year, YPC helped me find this voice.

Twice this year, I spoke at YPC 101. Through my participation, I realized my hope for the year was to help nurture the growth of YPC. This committee has been amazing and foundational to my journey with YPC –  thank you for your commitment and support. It has been a remarkable experience, and I’m looking forward to my future with membership and YPC as a whole.

Cameron Robinson,
Owner,
Colorspace Labs

Professional Development Committee Co-Chairs

The event “Owning Your Feedback Story” was a favorite of mine. While many of us would like to receive useful feedback, we so quickly forget the frustration of hearing “Keep doing what you’re doing” during performance reviews and tell our peers, “Great job” or “You’re doing fine.” While vaguely positive feedback can be reassuring at times, it often isn’t specific or actionable enough to help one learn. Similarly, generic requests for feedback can often fall flat if it’s not clear what the requestor is looking for feedback on.

This session had a lasting impact on how I think about requesting feedback from my team members and leaders, as well as how I craft feedback for those around me. I like to think it’s also saved me some time from avoiding miscommunication during roles and assignments along the way.

Aileen Gallagher,
UAS Manager,
PECO

“Career Pathing with Eric Herrenkohl” was one of my favorite events this year. The concept of dollarization was simple yet profound. Your ability to connect money saved and/or money made to your role is a major gem. I appreciated the time we had to talk with the other attendees to bounce ideas off each other on how to achieve this. We were also reminded about the importance of ‘who you know’.

In obtaining professional opportunities, who you know is just as important as what you know. I felt challenged to find new ways to nurture and maintain the valuable connections I’ve made over the years in this network. I am looking forward to continuing to provide professional development programming to serve YPC members in the next fiscal year.

Mary Worthy,
Residential Real Estate Specialist,
Mosaic Development Partners, LLC