Glenda M. Blake is currently serving as Senior Advisor & Educator, Community Impact within the Office of EDI at Northern Virginia Family Service. Previous to this role, she served as a Vice President of Programs providing leadership for the agency’s Community Housing, Homeless Services and Workforce Development service delivery areas. Glenda has over 30 years of human service experience and has spent a significant part of her career as an executive leader in public service, including as the Division Chief of Arlington County’s Aging & Disability Services and most recently as the Department Director of Loudoun County Family Services.
Glenda holds a MSW from Columbia University’s School of Social Work in NYC and a MPA from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. She also holds a BSW from Norfolk State University and is proud to have attended a Virginia HBCU. She has practiced in urban areas such as Harlem NYC and the New York Urban League and in suburban and rural areas of Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. Her work includes policy development, strategic planning, human services administration and direct care practice. She still cherishes her early days in supporting individuals at the end of life in a home environment and those who were survivors of tragic circumstances needing support at a Level One Trauma Center.
Glenda is committed to community and neighborhood-based service delivery that supports lifting up whole families – mothers, fathers, grandparents and children – in the right way, at the right time and in the right place. She believes all individuals, families and communities have strengths and gifts. She supports interventions that use a racial equity lens, are trauma-informed and ensures that individuals and families make decisions about their own lives. She also cares deeply about the development and wellness of the human services workforce and has been an advocate for additional resources that support this effort.
She has participated in a number of local and regional conversations and workgroups regarding critical human service issues, housing needs for vulnerable community members and human service strategic planning. She also recently participated on the Council of Government’s Alliance on Race and Equity, is a graduate of Leadership Arlington and served on the Fairfax County Park Authority Board. She also worked as an Adjunct Instructor and Field Liaison at GMU’s School of Social Work.
She continues to support service delivery to those in need of resources, assistance – and most of all – our compassion and understanding during these challenging times. She is especially proud of the many hardworking, dedicated human services professionals who selflessly serve the community every day. In addition to her human services heart, Glenda is also passionate about the arts, textiles, travel, interior design, culture and African American history and genealogy. Years ago, she had an opportunity to travel to Cuba on a study tour for architecture and culture and to Paris and England to source fun vintage pieces at international markets.
Contact: gblake@nvfs.org, 571.748.2575