The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber is pleased to announce the promotion of Nick Santucci to the position of director of Government and Public Affairs, while Michelle Phillips has been named director of Research.
The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber is pleased to announce the promotion of Nick Santucci to the position of director of Government and Public Affairs, while Michelle Phillips has been named director of Research.
Santucci joined the Chamber team in 2015, serving as the director of Education & Workforce Development. He supported the creation of partnerships between those in the business and education sectors and launched the Community Connectors program in 2015 after securing multiple state grants. The program targeted 11th- and 12th-grade students, with the goal of preparing them for the workforce through the development of professional and customer service skills. Santucci also led the Chamber’s JobsNow workforce program that provides three levels of services, including connecting job seekers with employers, no-cost drug testing and talent attraction.
Regional Chamber COO Sarah Boyarko said, "Nick has been engaged with the Chamber's Government Affairs division since interning with us in 2014. He has a significant amount of knowledge and connections to all levels of government, including with current and past elected officials. I look forward to supporting his efforts in bringing our government affairs services to the next level."
The Cortland resident will remain engaged with regional educators but will now lead the Chamber’s Government Affairs efforts, placing emphasis on coordinating with local elected officials to ensure that business collaboration exists with governmental entities.
Santucci, who received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from John Carroll University, currently sits on the Trumbull & Mahoning County Workforce Development Boards and is vice chair of the Youngstown City Schools Academic Distress Commission.
Longtime Chamber staffer Phillips joined the organization in 1999. Over the years she has provided a variety of services including entrepreneurial counseling, business research and coordination, supply chain analysis and grant writing. In recent years, she has overseen the request for information (RFI) process that is aligned with the Chamber's site selection services that have been a vital part of our many economic development successes over the years, both in local expansions and attraction of new investment.
In her new role, Phillips will continue to oversee the RFI response process, including the gathering, analysis and reporting of data relative to the area's economy, as well as community and industry demographics—information that is used by most companies during their decision-making process. She'll also work to expand the Chamber’s supply chain strategy and play a greater role in the research necessary to support its business retention, expansion and attraction efforts.
"The services that Michelle provides as a Regional Chamber employee are beyond supportive to our economic development efforts, as they are a major component. She continually strives to provide the highest quality of information to support company growth in our market. Along with every company that we have the chance to work with, I am continually impressed with her approach," Boyarko noted.
The Austintown resident earned her Associate’s degree in Computer Technology, Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Science and Certificate in Multimedia, all from Youngstown State University