The Young Professional of the Year Award, sponsored by BB&T, is designed to recognize an individual between the ages of 22 and 39 for his or her involvement in the community. The 2011 award was presented to the City of Greenville’s Downtown Manager Mary Douglas Hirsch.

Mary Douglas received her undergraduate degree from Presbyterian College and earned her Masters of Urban Planning from Clemson University. She played a key role in the city’s efforts to secure a developer for 100 West Broad Street, the “Bookends II” property – a major goal for the city. In a collaborative effort with the Chamber and Greenville Area Development Corporation, she led the restructuring of the Downtown Office Recruitment Initiative, resulting in 212,000 square feet of new office space and 680 new employees.

She is an active member of the Greenville community serving on the board of Greenville Forward, involved with the Greenville Urban Land Institute Young Leaders, and program chairman for the ULI Young Leaders Group. She is actively involved with the Greenville Chamber, including several Leadership Development programs – serving as a key presenter for Opportunity Greenville and Youth Leadership Greenville, and participation in PULSE, promoting leadership development and social enrichment for young professionals. She works closely with the NEXT initiative, encouraging young hi-tech entrepreneurs to locate in Greenville, as well as being an active member of the Junior League.

FinalGreenville Chamber of Commerce 123rd Annual Meeting