Barbara A. Blake

Dr. Barbara A. Blake serves as Executive Director of the ODU Office of Monarch Internships and Co-Ops and Senior Research Fellow at The Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy within Old Dominion University's Strome College of Business. With over 20 years of experience, she leads a Presidential initiative connecting students with employers while specializing in regional economic analysis, workforce reintegration, and social policy.

Her academic credentials include:

• Bachelor of Science in International Business from High Point University
• Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Leeds
• Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from The George Washington University

Dr. Blake's research centers on Economics of Social Issues, with groundbreaking work on the opioid epidemic's economic dimensions, women's leadership gaps, and higher education's future. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges economic theory with public policy, emphasizing real-world applications in Hampton Roads and statewide contexts through data-driven regional reports.

Publications from 2008-2022 reveal consistent focus on labor market dynamics, substance abuse economics, and regional development, with recent work increasingly integrating pandemic impacts and gambling industry analysis. Her scholarship demonstrates strong thematic continuity in examining how economic forces shape social outcomes.

Key honors include:

• J. Worth Pickering Administrator of the Year Award (2023)
• 2022 Women in Business Honoree (Inside Business)
• Faculty Administrator of the Year, Strome College of Business (2018)
• Employee of the Month, Old Dominion University (2017)

Dr. Blake has secured significant research grants including 'Improving Access to Broadband for Rural Communities Through 5G Investments' and 'ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS OF VIRGINIA ISRAEL ADVISORY BOARD'. Her media collaborations span Virginian Pilot, Reuters, and national platforms, while academic presentations reach institutions like Harvard University and the UK Ministry of Defence.

As lead contributor to the influential State of the Region and State of the Commonwealth reports, she directs a multidisciplinary team at The Dragas Center that produces actionable economic insights for policymakers, employers, and community stakeholders across Virginia.