乔·加维

芭芭拉·布莱克·冈萨雷斯, chief administrative officer of bet8体育娱乐入口’s Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy, 最近被任命为 2022年商界女性获奖者 《网站登录》.

Blake Gonzalez was one of 19 women recognized “who have been successful in their businesses and careers, contribute to the community and serve as an example to others,该出版物写道。. “Our hope is this recognition will spur them on to even greater things.”

Blake Gonzalez oversees day-to-day operations at the Dragas Center, 包括业务运营, 新项目开发, 人事管理和研究生支持.

“I wear as many hats as necessary to get the job done,” she told Inside Business.

She has been a contributing author to the center’s highly regarded State of the Region and State of the Commonwealth reports since 2015. Her research interests include the economics of social issues (including the economics of opioids), the women’s leadership gap and the future of higher education.

她在社区中也很活跃, serving in volunteer roles with the Norfolk Tourism Foundation, ForKids公司., LEAD Hampton Roads, 诺福克公立学校, the Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast Council and local “Shark Tank” pitch and grant competitions.

When asked 《网站登录》 what gets under her skin, Blake Gonzalez replied: “The lack of gender diversity in the C-suite.”

本着这种精神, ODU 网站登录 asked Blake Gonzalez several questions about the state of today’s workplace, 尤其是对女性来说.

ODU网站登录: What do you wish you had known when you entered the business world?

布莱克冈萨雷斯: I didn’t see women in leadership roles when I started out as a first-generation college student. Most of the faculty in my undergraduate business college were men, 我也没有很多榜样. 在我职业生涯的早期, I wish I would have had someone to remind me that I wasn’t one of the few women at the table due to chance or luck – I was there because I was qualified (and) an asset to the organization – and that diverse employees enrich the value of the company. This is the message that I 分享 with women in Hampton Roads, especially those who are also the first in their families to attend college. Through my participation in ODU’s F1rst-gen Mentoring program, 我解释了多元化的商业案例. Several large studies assert gender-diverse businesses are more profitable. 女性属于! 

ODU网站登录: In the 2019 State of the Region report, you talked about the women’s leadership gap in Hampton Roads. Has there been any progress in this area, and if not, what steps 应该 be taken?

布莱克冈萨雷斯: COVID-19改变了一切，不是吗? 大流行之前, awareness of the women's wage and leadership gap was improving and leading to real discussions about "pink collar" employment and the lack of women in top leadership positions. 然而, the impact of COVID-19 was truly a devastating blow to the women who are overrepresented in the service industry and caretaking occupations.

Many women are caregivers of children and/or parents. Working the first and second shift (the job for income and the custodial job at home) is an overwhelming burden. Child/elder care assistance and flexible schedules combined with pay parity continue to be the big asks here and around the nation.

ODU网站登录: If you could draw attention to one area of your research, what would that be?

布莱克冈萨雷斯: The lack of awareness and discussion surrounding opioids in the workforce is a real need in our community. 虽然研究人员, health professionals and policy makers search for answers to combat the scourge of opioids, 我相信全国的专门运动, state and regional levels to educate and destigmatize addiction are needed to win the battle. 事实是, 任何人, 不分种族, 性别或社会经济地位, 会对阿片类药物上瘾吗. Employees are desperately worried about being terminated if their dependency were made public. Families speak in whispers if a loved one overdoses. 这不仅是一种可怕的生活方式, 但是个人的成本, 家庭和我们的社区令人愤慨. Commonwealth estimates released this year put the total costs of the opioid burden in Virginia at $3.50亿美元. 

ODU网站登录: What questions are you being asked most often about women in the workplace, and what questions 应该 被要求?

布莱克冈萨雷斯: People are quick to ask, “Why aren’t women advancing as rapidly as men in the workplace?注意这个问题的框架. 这是模糊的, and it doesn’t lead 任何人 to the everyday or systemic issues that cause the problem in the first place. 一个更有效的问题是, “What can we do to help women advance as quickly as men in the workplace?“它有利于集体责任. When someone reads an article about professional women, they 应该 be thinking about it personally. The professional women in the workplace are your friends, your mentors, your sisters, your mothers. If these women are exiting the workforce because of low wages and/or few advancement opportunities, 这应该引起我们所有人的关注. Everyone 应该 have an investment in making life better for the people around them.

You can see the complete list of Inside Business’ 2022年商界女性获奖者s at this link.