Reuben F. Young serves as the eleventh Secretary of the N.C. Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. As CCPS secretary, he serves as the sole representative on the Governor's Cabinet for the state's law enforcement and emergency management community. He also is in charge of the state's homeland security coordination.

Young was appointed to the position in January of 2009 by Governor Bev Perdue. Immediately prior to his appointment, Young served as chief legal counsel for Governor Michael Easley.

Young received his Juris Doctorate from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 1985. A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, he graduated from Sanderson High School in Raleigh, North Carolina and received his Bachelor of Arts from Howard University in Washington, D.C.

From 1985-1995, Young lived in Austin, Texas. He worked in the Elections Division of the Secretary of State's Office from 1985-1987, before entering private law practice. From 1988-1992 he worked as an assistant district attorney for Travis County before returning to private practice in 1992. In 1994, Young served as Assistant Attorney General for the state of Texas. He returned to North Carolina in 1995 and worked as both Associate and Assistant Attorney General in the N.C. Department of Justice representing the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. He remained in that department until 2001, when Governor Easley appointed Young as deputy legal counsel. He served as the governor's chief legal counsel from 2003 until his appointment as Secretary of Crime Control and Public Safety.

As secretary for the department, Young also serves as a member of the Governor's Crime Commission and on the Board of Directors of the Criminal Justice Information Network. In addition, he is currently serving as chair of the State Emergency Response Commission.

Young and his wife, Pamela, have two sons, Brandon and Avery.