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Part ambassador … part evangelist, Caroline Young spends her days sharing the good news about Nashville’s healthcare industry. And with the depth and breadth of industry-affiliated businesses housed in Middle Tennessee, Young said she’s never at a loss for words. A native Nashvillian who received her undergraduate degree from Ole Miss and her master’s from the University of Tennessee, Young has spent her entire career promoting industry and commerce in the state. After completing her graduate degree, she began working for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Prior to joining the Council, Young was also the founding executive director of the Tennessee Biotechnology Association and was a principal in the healthcare practice of the Ingram Group. Although she celebrated her first anniversary as Council president last month, she has been with the organization for several years –– previously serving as vice president of the Council and executive director of the affiliated Leadership Health Care. “When the opportunity came up five years ago for me to join the Council team, I knew that I could not pass it by. There is no other location in the world that has the concentration of healthcare companies and deep healthcare expertise that is found right here in Nashville,” she said. “The Council plays a critical role in supporting this healthcare community and spreading the word on a global level that Nashville is a healthcare industry capital.” She noted, “There is always a Nashville healthcare connection!” Young added one look at the “family tree” produced by the Council illustrates the number of successful industry endeavors around the nation … and the globe … that trace roots back to this city. “There is no comparison. Nashville is truly unique.” While this depth of knowledge among local industry leaders is increasingly recognized domestically and internationally, Young knows opportunity remains to heighten the city’s visibility. “Although we work diligently to spread the word nationally and internationally about Nashville’s healthcare expertise, I still feel there is work to be done, and perhaps now more than ever,” she expressed. “Healthcare reform is very high on the national policy agenda, and I would like to continue to elevate the Council and Nashville’s reputation so that when influential policy decision-makers look to tap healthcare expertise, they think about Nashville.” Locally, the industry’s success creates a unique challenge for Young and her staff as they try to meet the needs of the Council’s 165 member companies. “The healthcare industry is extremely broad and diverse as is reflected in the membership of the Council,” Young pointed out. “Our member companies are affected in different ways by state and federal policy and financial and business trends. However, as a membership organization, it is incumbent on the Council to support all member stakeholders and to provide them with timely educational offerings on an ongoing basis. Given the dynamic influences … both positive and negative … on our members, it can be challenging to develop key activities that are relevant and of interest to such a diverse membership roster.” While she concentrates on the needs of many at work, at home the focus is much more singular. Young and her husband are the doting parents of a two-year-old son. “He brings immense joy and laughter, and with him in my life, I am reminded that I shouldn’t ‘sweat the small stuff.’”

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