Brooks Young

Brooks Young is the Executive Director of TNWorks, the State of Tennessee’s single source for workforce and a central component of its economic development strategy. In this role, he leads a coordinated, statewide effort to connect business and industry with customized, data-driven workforce solutions; helping companies expand, compete, and succeed in a rapidly changing economy.
TNWorks brings together multiple state agencies and partners into a unified system designed to simplify how employers access talent, training, and workforce resources. Under Brooks’s leadership, the initiative focuses on aligning education, workforce, and economic development strategies to meet real-time industry needs and strengthen Tennessee’s competitive advantage.
Brooks brings over a decade of experience in workforce, education, and economic development, with a background in public-sector strategy and operations. Previously, Brooks served in the Office of Strategy at the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development, where he led enterprise-level initiatives, managed large-scale funding portfolios, and worked across agencies and industries to improve how workforce systems deliver results for employers and communities.
Known for his ability to translate complex systems into practical strategies, Brooks has led efforts that improve coordination across institutions, expand training capacity in high-demand sectors, and strengthen the connection between talent pipelines and business demand.