BARBARA A. BLAKE | Executive director, Office of Monarch Internships and Co-Ops, Old Dominion University

In 2023, Old Dominion University launched the Monarch Internship and Co-Op Office and tapped Barbara Blake as its executive director to meet a goal of 100% student participation in work-based learning.

“I view internships as more than résumé-builders,” Blake says. “They are launchpads for career confidence and financial stability. My work focuses on scaling access to these opportunities across disciplines, income levels, and student identities.”

Previously, Blake was the chief administrative officer of ODU’s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy. During that time, she led and published research on the impact of the opioid crisis on Virginia’s workforce and labor market. She also contributed to an initiative funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in partnership with the University of Virginia, which focused on addressing the opioid crisis in Virginia.

“While my role centered on the economic and workforce impact, the experience deepened my belief that cross-functional leadership is essential to solving our most urgent challenges,” she says. “Issues like opioid addiction, food insecurity, and care infrastructure require the coordinated efforts of medical professionals, economists, educators, social workers and policy advocates working together to design lasting solutions.”

Blake earned her undergraduate degree from High Point University and her master’s in international studies from the University of Leeds before completing her doctorate in higher education administration at George Washington University.

2025 Virginia Women in Leadership Awards honorees