Charima Young has over 17 years of experience in community outreach working with nonprofits, government agencies, and corporations to implement self-sufficiency programs on local, national, and global platforms. Charima Young is currently the Director of Local Government and Community Relations for Penn State University (PSU) in State College, Pennsylvania. She helps to develop and direct the local government engagement strategy by working closely with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. Charima manages the relationships between PSU, local government, business community, student organizations and nonprofits to foster clear lines of communication and to promote mutually beneficial outcomes. She also currently represents the University on several boards, which include the Downtown State College Improvement District, Centre County United Way, and the Central PA Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
Prior to Penn State, Charima served as Associate State Director of Community Outreach for AARP Georgia. During her tenure with AARP she developed and executed community investment strategies to serve the 50+ population throughout Georgia in the areas of financial security, consumer protection and fraud, caregiving, and more. In addition to managing five core programs, Charima supported AARP’s advocacy efforts through education and deepening AARP’s engagement with Atlanta’s businesses, elected officials, and community leaders on workforce development and community development issues. She also worked closely with the City of Atlanta’s Mayor’s Office and City Council to implement an initiative nationally recognized by the World Health Organization.
Prior to AARP, she served as the Corporate Responsibility Manager for InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), and directed community programs, employee engagement, and community communications outreach efforts for IHG’s Americas region. She worked closely with global and national partners such as CARE, Goodwill Industries, and the American Red Cross to implement workforce development and disaster relief programs to support local communities around the world.
Charima also served as the National Partnership and Consortia Manager on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Neighborhood Networks initiative where she led a team in the development of national partnerships for community technology centers nationwide. She negotiated and executed strategic partnerships with high profile stakeholders such as Samsung, CVS Caremark, FDIC, and Wachovia to deliver in-kind donations and services to over 1,400 HUD communities. Throughout her career, she has developed beneficial relationships with nonprofits, government, and private sector organizations to benefit local communities.
She is a native of Hillside, NJ. During her tenure in Atlanta, she earned her Bachelor’s degree from Spelman College, and her Master’s in Public Policy from Georgia Institute of Technology. Charima also received a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University and a Project Management certificate from Georgia State University. In her spare time, Charima is an avid runner and enjoys competing in races. She also enjoys traveling, hiking, theatre, and event planning.