The York County Economic Alliance (YCEA) is proud to announce recent professional accomplishments of leaders within the organization.

Catherine Roque, Marketing Manager, will become the President-Elect of the Leadership York Board of Directors in 2023, where she will chair the Strategic Planning Committee. Catherine joined the board in July 2020 and was elected the Vice Chair for 2022-23. She will assume the role of President of the Board of Directors in 2024-25. In addition to stepping up into a leadership position, Catherine has been an engaged volunteer on the Leadership Training Program (LTP) Committee, Future Leaders of York Committee, is a 2019 LTP graduate. Catherine also remains an active York College alumnus, specifically focusing her time supporting the York College Community Opportunity Scholarship Program (YCCOSP) students.

Brendan Salyards, Manager of Economic Initiatives, joined the 2023 Leadership Training Program class of Leadership York, and also graduated recently from the Federal Reserve’s Reinventing Our Communities cohort program. Brendan is a graduate of Gettysburg College and is in his second year with the YCEA.

 

David Gonzalez, Director of Economic Initiatives, was recently named to the WITF Board of Directors and the York County Planning Commission. WITF inspires lifelong learning by connecting people and communities of Pennsylvania through trusted journalism, thoughtful discussion, and educational experiences. Their vision is to be an essential part of the civic, educational, and cultural fabric of Pennsylvania. The York County Planning Commission reviews and makes recommendations to municipalities on proposed ordinance amendments, as well as all subdivision and land development plans. Technical assistance is also provided to municipalities for planning-related activities and plan and ordinance preparation. With the consent of the County Commissioners, the Planning Commission administers federal and state housing and community development programs, including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the HOME program, and the weatherization program. Similarly, the YCPC administers the Metropolitan Transportation Planning Division Program and prepares and maintains a county-wide Comprehensive Plan.

 

Jonathan Desmarais, Director of Downtown Inc, and Marlena Schugt, BLOOM Program Manager, both successfully graduated from the Pennsylvania Basic Economic Development Course through the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association (PEDA). Topics included Business Retention & Expansion, Marketing/Attraction, Workforce Development, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Development, Community/Neighborhood Development, Real Estate Development and Reuse and more. Additionally, Jonathan joined the board of directors for Keystone Kidspace, an organization that provides real access to experiences, tools and mentors that ignite our kids’ imaginations and prepare them for a successful future. Marlena graduated recently from the Federal Reserve’s Reinventing Our Communities cohort program.

Silas Chamberlin, PhD., Chief Strategy Officer, joined the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) Board of Directors. He recently received national recognition as a 40 Under 40 honoree by ACCE, which serves more than 9,000 leaders from 1,300 chambers of commerce, including 93 of the top 100 metro areas in the U.S. The combined membership of ACCE chambers in the U.S. exceeds 1.2 million businesses. ACCE offers resources, industry information and data, professional development opportunities, peer connectivity and best practice sharing through topical conferences, and the annual convention. In 2022, Silas and colleague Sully Pinos presented at the annual conference on the BLOOM Business Empowerment Center and the York County Economic Action Plan.