SAN DIEGO — A new CEO has been selected to serve the Greater San Diego Business Association, the LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Barbra Blake will take over February 3, 2014 to lead the organization into its 35th anniversary year. Most recently, Blake was the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Rady School of Management at the University of California San Diego, La Jolla.
With deep roots in the San Diego LGBT community, Blake served as the Executive Director of AIDS Walk San Diego and San Diego Gay Pride, Inc. during the 1990s.
A Massachusetts native, Blake attended UC San Diego and received a BS in Molecular Biology. Following a career in biological research and her tenure in the LGBT community, she returned to UCSD and served in several management positions; she was the Director of Corporate Relations for Biological Sciences, and the Assistant Dean of Academic Programs for the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies. Currently, she continues her education with plans to complete a doctorate focused on entrepreneurial leadership in 2014.
Involved with corporate partnership programs and high-visibility marketing and communications campaigns, she brings extensive experience working with boards of directors, corporate executives and business leaders. Blake has also served as a board member and on leadership committees through numerous community service and professional associations. She will replace the previous GSDBA CEO who resigned in July of 2013.
Dr. Jeri Muse, GSDBA board chair stated that “I am very pleased with the results of our search process as our organization is poised for growth on all levels, so Barbra is exactly the right person to lead us forward.”
Excited to be working in the LGBT community again, Blake noted, “I have had the opportunity throughout my career to combine a passion for organizational development, strategic planning and creativity to implement positive change and growth within a diverse set of organizations. I look forward to working with the Board and membership to take GSDBA to the next level.”
