Chris Urheim officially joined the PYN Board of Directors this winter as its newest member. His business career started in investment banking, structuring bond offerings for cities and municipal authorities. After earning his MBA, he began a 32-year career in the chemical industry at Philadelphia-based Rohm and Haas Company, followed by stints at Dow Chemical, DuPont and IFF. His roles included strategic planning, marketing, sales and management. Most recently, he led a global $500 million business unit in specialty chemicals with responsibility for P&L and a team of professionals across various functions. Chris has spent most of his career working in and around Philadelphia, but has also lived and worked in New York, Chicago and Singapore.
Since retiring from the corporate world two years ago, Chris has served as an independent business consultant while increasingly devoting his time to youth education. He is a math and science substitute teacher in his local middle school and volunteers as an after-school math tutor in West Philadelphia with the TGR Foundation, which is partnering with Cobbs Creek Foundation to enhance access to education and provide opportunities for youth in West Philadelphia through a new TGR Learning Lab on the Cobbs Creek campus. This Learning Lab will focus on students in grades 7-12, providing them with after-school, weekend and summertime enrichment opportunities in the form of education and development opportunities for students to discover and pursue their passion. Based on his volunteering experience, PYN seemed like a natural fit.
“Chris will bring such a helpful perspective from his time in the business world and from his current time volunteering with the city’s youth. He has a unique understanding of how critical our work is, especially in the middle school grades, and comes with ideas to further PYN’s reach. We look forward to benefitting from his commercial and tactical experience,” said Wendy-Anne Roberts-Johnson, President & CEO, Philadelphia Youth Network.
Chris was born and raised in the Philadelphia area and has a chemical engineering degree from Princeton University as well as an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
“PYN provides the bridge between education and careers and trades. Their programs help demystify how kids can pursue different paths. I see how hard it is for young people to make the transition from school to the working world. PYN’s work is crucial to help young people earn a living wage and in turn, improve economic development across the city. I look forward to joining this board and working with Wendy-Anne,” Chris said.
The Board assists PYN through strategic planning and implementation, creating a vision for the future, and connecting the organization and young people to new resources and opportunities. The Board’s Development and Governance committees are action-driven groups within the board. All board members are also tasked with promoting PYN, advocating for both youth workforce development initiatives and funding.
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