Harrisburg

David Black to deliver spring commencement keynote at Penn State Harrisburg

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Penn State Harrisburg will hold its spring commencement at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, May 8, at the Giant Center in Hershey. More than 680 degrees will be conferred at the ceremony.

David Black, president and CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and Capital Region Economic Development Corporation (HRC/CREDC), will serve as keynote speaker at the ceremony. Black has been instrumental in helping HRC/CREDC develop a solid reputation for the region and the organization with talented staff, quality events, member services, legislative advocacy, and economic development projects of more than $450 million in economic impact, helping local businesses create and retain more than 13,500 jobs.

In addition to his duties at HRC/CREDC, Black serves on many economic development-related, not-for-profit boards. He has also been involved in the city of Harrisburg’s journey to fiscal recovery over the past several years.

Before joining HRC/CREDC in 2001, he served in several key roles for Gov. Tom Ridge leading development and implementation of innovative programs and helping to create the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), serving as deputy secretary. He also served as chief operating officer of Team Pennsylvania, where he helped Ridge restructure the foundation as a long-term tool for economic development in Pennsylvania. 

Black is a native of Clarion, where he served as county commissioner for many years. He is a graduate of Westminster College in New Wilmington and nearly completed his masters in public administration from Slippery Rock University. He and his wife Shirley live in Mechanicsburg. They have two grown children, Erin, a master’s of education graduate of Penn State Harrisburg, and Jonathan, as well as a granddaughter, Maddi.

For more commencement information, visit http://harrisburg.psu.edu/commencement/.

David Black Credit: Penn State Harrisburg / Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated May 3, 2016