Mr. Tydings is the President of The Greater Washington Board of Trade. The Board of Trade is a major representative of the business and professional community comprising the greater Washington region. As President, Mr. Tydings is the Board's chief of staff responsible for overall operations, policy formation, general management, promotion and lobbying.

Mr. Tydings joined the Board of Trade in 1968. Prior to his becoming Executive Vice President in 1978, he was responsible for many board activities including:

• General administration of the Board's operations, including membership, personnel and financial development.
• Marketing the Greater Washington region through the attraction of new business and investment.
• General economic development, including urban planning and design, land use, physical development and natural resources.
• Lobbying, particularly in matters relating to municipal finance, business taxation and general business climate issues.

Mr. Tydings has a BA degree from the University of Maryland. His graduate work is in finance and accounting. He has taken special studies in land use development and general real estate at Georgia Tech's Industrial Development program.

Mr. Tydings has several outside activities that include serving on the boards of many charitable and professional organizations including his service as Vice President of HEROES, Inc. and Chair of American Chamber of Commerce Executive's Fringe Benefits, Inc. Mr. Tydings is a Knight of Malta. He is a founder of Leadership Washington, Inc., and the 1989 recipient of American Chamber of Commerce Executives' Chairman's Professional Leadership Award as the outstanding chamber executive in America. Mr. Tydings was a 1983 Washingtonian of the Year.