CHIEF ADMIN OFFICER,CTR ECONOM
Department of Economics

Dr. Barbara Blake Gonzalez

757-683-4834
Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy
Dr. Blake

2104 CONSTANT HALL
NORFOLK, 23529

Barbara Blake serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of The Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy. Dr. Blake has been a Contributing Author to the highly cited State of the Region and State of the Commonwealth reports since 2015. Her research interests include the Economics of Social Issues including the Opioid Epidemic and Domestic and International Migration. She has presented her economic research at NARSC, Harvard University and at the UK Ministry of Defence in Shrivenham, England. She earned her B.S. in International Business from High Point University, a Masters in International Studies from the University of Leeds a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from The George Washington University. Dr. Blake is a member of NABE, a Quality Matters (QM) Certified Peer Reviewer and an experienced QM Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Economics, a C2ER/LMI Institute Applied Economic Analyst, a CRA (Certified Research Administrator®) and a Certified Microsoft Faculty Fellow. She has appeared in the Virginian Pilot, Virginia Business, WAVY-TV, Daily Press, and the WY-Daily as well as television and radio in Hampton Roads and Virginia. Dr. Blake holds Board and Trustee positions with C2ER, The Norfolk Tourism Foundation and Girl Scouts.

Economic Development Advanced Applied Analyst
Sponsoring Organization: C2ER, The Council for Community and Economic Research
Date Obtained: 2018-06-01
Faculty Fellow -Technology Instruction
Sponsoring Organization: Microsoft (College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia)
Date Obtained: 2015-01-01
Certified Research Administrator® (CRA)
Sponsoring Organization: Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC)
Date Obtained: 2018-12-01

Expertise

Economics
Economics of Social Issues and Public Policy
Higher Education
Administration and Leadership
Research
Research Design

Research Interests

Her research interests include the Economics of Social Issues (including Opioids), the Women's Leadership Gap and the future of Higher Education. Dr. Blake Gonzalez has presented her research at Harvard University, the UK Ministry of Defence in Shrivenham, England and NARSC. Recent publications in 2020 -2022 Opioids include The Drug Overdose Epidemic Seen through Different Lenses, Drug-overdose death rates: the economic misery explanation and its alternatives and Why Has the Median Real Income of Lawyers Been Declining?

Articles

Koch, J. V. and Blake Gonzalez, B. USING THE LSAT AS A LABOR MARKET THERMOMETER. The American Journal of Economics and Sociology (2022).
Koch, J. V. and Blake Gonzalez, B. (2022). Why Has the Median Real Income of Lawyers Been Declining?. Journal of Economics and Finance.
Blake Gonzalez, B., Koch, J. V. and Cebula, R. (2021). The Drug Overdose Epidemic Seen through Different Lenses. Health Science Journal.
Blake Gonzalez, B., Koch, J. V. and Cebula, R. (2020). Drug-overdose death rates: the economic misery explanation and its alternatives. Applied Economics 53 (53(6408)) , pp. 1-12.
Blake Gonzalez, B. (2008). Academic Libraries Should Strategic Planning be Renewed?. Technical Services Quarterly, Taylor & Francis 24 , pp. 1-14.

Book Chapters

McNab, R. and Blake Gonzalez, B. (2021). All In: Casinos, Online Betting and the Future of Gambling in Hampton Roads State of the Region Norfolk, Virginia: Old Dominion University.
McNab, R. and Blake Gonzalez, B. (2021). Let It Ride: Casinos, Online Betting and the Future of Gambling in Virginia. The State of the Commonwealth Report Norfolk, Virginia: Old Dominion University.
Koch, J. V. and Blake Gonzalez, B. (2020). Virginia’s Opioid Epidemic Continues and COVID-19 May Be Making It Worse 2020 State of the Commonwealth Report (pp. 120-137) Norfolk, Virginia: Old Dominion University.
Blake Gonzalez, B. and Koch, J. V. (2017). Do We Suffer from Brain Drain in Hampton Roads? 2017 State of the Region Report (pp. 152-176) Norfolk, Virginia:.
Koch, J. V. and Blake Gonzalez, B. (2016). The Rise Of Single-Earner Households In Virginia: Why It Matters 2016 State of the Commonwealth Report (pp. 128-151) Norfolk, Virginia:.
Koch, J. V. and Blake Gonzalez, B. (2015). Domestic Migration: What Moves Us? The 2015 State of the Commonwealth Report (pp. 158-178) Norfolk, Virginia:.
Blake Gonzalez, B. and McNab, R. (2018). Welcome to your new home: International migration and Hampton Roads The 2018 State of the Region Report (pp. 123-146) Norfolk, Virginia:.

Presentations

Blake Gonzalez, B. and McNab, R. (June 6, 2019). Opioids in Virginia Lecture Reintegration into the Workforce: Bringing in Labor off the Sidelines, C2ER 59th Annual Conference St. Louis, MO.
Blake Gonzalez, B., McNab, R. and Herring, M. (September , 2019). Opioids in the Workplace Lecture Hampton Roads Opioid Working Group Norfolk, Virginia.
Blake Gonzalez, B. (October 8, 2019). Mind the Gap: Women’s Leadership in Hampton Roads Keynote/Plenary Address 2019 State of the Region Report Address Norfolk, Virginia.
Blake Gonzalez, B. (November 19, 2019). The Opioid Crisis and Public Medical Care Benefits in Virginia Oral Presentation 66th Annual North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International Pittsburgh, PA.
Blake Gonzalez, B. (February 24, 2021). VIRGINIA’S OPIOID EPIDEMIC CONTINUES Oral Presentation 2020 State of the Commonwealth Presentation Virtual .
Blake Gonzalez, B. (May 13, 2021). Minimum Wage: Policy Complications Lecture CIVIC May Day Online.
Blake Gonzalez, B. and Sharak, R. (June 10, 2021). A Snapshot in Resiliency and Response: Norfolk, Virginia Oral Presentation 61st Annual C2ER Conference/LMI Institute Annual Forum Virtual.
  • 2022: 2022 Women in Business Honoree , Inside Business, Virginia Media
  • 2018: Faculty Administrator of the Year, Strome College of Business
  • 2017: Employee of the Month, Old Dominion University

Organizational Chart