Richard Young, a 1998 Midwestern State University graduate, will deliver the commencement address at MSU's graduation ceremony at 10 a.m. Dec. 16 at Kay Yeager Coliseum. Approximately 487 students are candidates to earn their degrees this December.

Young is a specialist in foreign trade regulation and a co-owner of the foreign trade consultancy SECURUS Strategic Trade Solutions LLC. He has worked in international affairs and foreign trade analysis and consulting for 14 years, advising multinational corporations, governments, and nongovernmental organizations around the world on the development of and compliance with foreign trade policies and rules.

A Wichita Falls native, Young majored in political science and history at MSU, and was active in the Student Government Association, the University Programming Board, and the Model Arab League competition. He graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts then received his Master of Arts in political science in 2002 from the University of Georgia, where he was recognized for outstanding graduate teaching. In 2016, Young made his home in Wichita Falls again after 13 years in Washington, D.C., and Austin.

Much of Young's work focuses on providing information, training, and advice to industry and government on safe and responsible trade in dual-use goods such as certain aerospace products, electronics, and machine tools that have widespread civilian commercial uses but can also be used for military purposes.

He has traveled to more than 40 countries, published in the journal WorldECR: The Journal of Export Controls and Sanctions, and presented at a number of international conferences on nonproliferation and trade regulation and compliance. Young is a research fellow with the Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES) at the University at Albany, State University of New York. PISCES conducts research and outreach on topics at the intersection of economics and security, including the proliferation of dual-use and military technologies, border security, illicit trade, and international sanctions.

With others, Young formed SECURUS Strategic Trade Solutions LLC in 2010. SECURUS merged the insights of experienced foreign trade professionals with backgrounds in law, public policy, international affairs, and government service to develop innovative solutions for companies, governments, and organizations seeking to understand and navigate the regulations governing trade between countries in diverse regions ranging from East Asia to the Middle East and the Americas. SECURUS was named Export Controls Consultant of the Year by WorldECR in 2016.

From 2003 to 2010, Young served as an associate with the University of Georgia Center for International Trade and Security, which conducts public outreach, education, and research on foreign trade regulation, physical protection of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials, and prevention of illicit trafficking in nuclear materials, advanced technologies, and conventional weapons. Young was a founding member of the organization's Washington, D.C., office.