This event is open to all Girl Scout Staff, whether or not they are members of Girl Scout Staff Association. Only $10 for non members.

FREE for members. Members must sign in when registering to receive the fee reduction. Questions? Contact us.

Join us in a conversation about gender inequalities and how COVID-19–related economic effects have increased existing gender inequalities. Our speaker is Dr. Barbara Blake Gonzalez, Chief Administrative Officer of The Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy at Old Dominion University and contributing author of the annual State of the Region and State of the Commonwealth reports.

COVID impacted virtually all aspects of daily life. Businesses closed, daycares were shuttered, and children transitioned to virtual schooling. As a result, hundreds of thousands of American women left the workforce (https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2021/october/labor-force-exits-covid19).

We don’t yet fully understand the impact of this unequal exodus, but data suggest it will slow our economic recovery.  What can we do as Girl Scouts to ensure our work places can adjust while we ensure the next generation of girls are prepared for their futures?

About Dr. Barbara Blake Gonzalez 

Dr. Barbara Blake Gonzalez serves as the Chief Administrative Officer of The Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy. She 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. In 2019, she delivered her authored research on gender equity in the workforce at the Hampton Roads Chamber State of the Region program. She was the first woman to present at the annual Chambers’ State of the Region luncheon program. 

Her recent publications in 2020 and 2021 include: Opioids include The Drug Overdose Epidemic Seen through Different Lenses and Drug-overdose death rates: the economic misery explanation and its alternatives.

She earned her B.S. in International Business from High Point University, High Point, North Carolina, a Masters in International Studies from the University of Leeds, Leeds, England, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from The George Washington University, Washington, DC. Dr. Blake is a C2ER/LMI Institute Advanced Applied Economic Analyst, member of NABE (National Association for Business Economics), Quality Matters (QM) Certified Peer Reviewer in Economics, , a CRA (Certified Research Administrator®) and a Certified Microsoft Faculty Fellow.

Among the many awards she has received is the Strome College of Business Administrator of the Year Award. She is also a proud parent of a two Gold Award Girl Scouts.  Her daughter Ava Gonzalez earned her Gold Award in 2018, and her daughter Gabriella Gonzalez earned her Gold Award in 2021.