Vann Young - Principal
Vann Young is a Principal with Good Harbor based in Abu Dhabi, UAE, where he specializes in maritime security and strategic development. He has 25 years of leadership, business management, and consulting experience leading teams and complex organizations; initiating and implementing high impact organizational development and leadership training programs; and developing major strategic planning proposals for government and private sector entities. He has a diverse military and maritime operations background having attained the rank of Captain (O6) in the U.S. Coast Guard.
Prior to joining Good Harbor, Mr. Young was a leadership and business consultant with AIM Consulting Associates where he focused on organizational performance, strategy, and leader development. He was also an Adjunct Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lally School of Management and Technology teaching within the Strategy and Organizational Development disciplines.
After earning his commission as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, Mr. Young began his military career as a deck watch officer and operations officer aboard Coast Guard cutters patrolling the Northwest Atlantic and Caribbean conducting fisheries and law enforcement operations. While commanding a multi-mission cutter, his unit was credited with one of the largest cocaine seizures of the early drug interdiction era. He also spent four years as a company officer at the Coast Guard Academy where he was responsible for the personal and professional development of over 400 future officers. Mr. Young later commanded a Coast Guard cutter in New England that participated in monumental test programs involving electronic navigation systems and on-line configuration-based maintenance systems that led to Coast Guard-wide implementation. He served as Chief Program Director of the Leadership and Professional Development Division in Washington, D.C. where he was a key participant in the creation and implementation of the Coast Guard Leadership Development Center.
In 1998, Mr. Young was selected as the first Director of the Leadership and Quality Institute at the Leadership Development Center where he oversaw extensive resident and exportable training programs throughout the Coast Guard. During this tour, Mr. Young was an integral team member in planning and executing a U.S. Department of Transportation Senior Strategic and Leadership Team initiative with the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and 27 senior government executives creating a strategy and decision-making architecture for the 21st century. From 2000 to 2003, he served as Senior Director of Coast Guard Officer Candidate School where he led the charge in developing and delivering a personnel accession plan that increased student throughput by 75% to meet the country's demand for Coast Guard leaders following the terrorist attacks of 9-11. He was also called upon to consult in the strategic planning process to transition the Coast Guard into the newly formed U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In addition, he was instrumental in developing and delivering the first Executive Leadership Program for the Coast Guard's most senior personnel.
In 2003, Mr. Young was assigned as the Executive Officer of Coast Guard Integrated Support Command Boston providing a complete and responsive support system to 5800 personnel and 112 units in the Northeast. During this tour, he was responsible for supporting all federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies conducting security operations for the 2004 Democratic and Republican National Conventions. He also executed strategic plans to support newly established Maritime Safety and Security Teams along the East coast. In 2005, he was chosen to lead a team of maritime experts on a mission to the Republic of Georgia to train and prepare a new Coast Guard force in the areas of operational and security readiness.
Mr. Young has earned numerous military awards. He is also the first recipient of the Coast Guard Academy Alumni Achievement Award for Leadership. Mr. Young has also served as a spokesperson for the Combined Federal Campaign.
Mr. Young earned his B.S. in Management from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, his M.S. in Human Resource Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at The Hartford Graduate Center, and his M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College.
