Jeffrey Young

I’m an Executive Policy Specialist in PennDOT’s Policy Office. I work on climate change, transportation revenue, active transportation, environmental justice, AI policy, and whatever else lands on my desk that week. Previously I was a William & Hannah Penn Fellow in the same office. Before PennDOT, I got a master’s in city planning from Rutgers, where I was an Eagleton Fellow with the New Jersey Senate Democrats and interned at DVRPC. More on all of that on the policy & planning page.

Before any of that, I was a professional violinist, composer, and touring musician for about fifteen years — classical, rock, experimental, and points in between. I played in thingNY, an experimental opera ensemble. I toured with the World/Inferno Friendship Society, a cabaret-punk band. I co-wrote an opera with a title so long it barely fits on a business card. I played Carnegie Hall and the Late Show with David Letterman and a lot of basements in between. There’s a full archive on the music page.

What connects the two chapters is probably this: I’m drawn to complex systems, I form opinions about them fast, and I like making the case for what I think should change. Whether that’s a piece of music or a piece of legislation, the process is more similar than you’d expect.

I live in West Philadelphia with my wife Evie, our daughter Zola, and a cat named Grba.