Peter A. Blake joined the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia (SCHEV) as executive director in 2011. A former Virginia secretary of education, Mr. Blake previously worked at SCHEV as an associate director overseeing higher education analyses in the areas of faculty and staff compensation, higher education funding policies, academic libraries, distance learning and instructional technology, and student financial aid. He left SCHEV in 1999 to serve as the legislative fiscal analyst for the Virginia General Assembly’s House Appropriations Committee.
Before returning to SCHEV, Mr. Blake served as the vice chancellor of workforce development services for the Virginia Community College System, where he led policy and budget development. Mr. Blake was the deputy secretary of education from 2002 to 2005, and served as the secretary of education under Governor Mark Warner.
In addition to his professional experience, Mr. Blake has served on various advisory committees, including the boards of the Virginia Commonwealth University Alumni Association, the Richmond Public Library, the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
Mr. Blake completed the Virginia Executive Institute and LEAD Virginia programs, as well as the associate program through the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. He has a B.A. in history and an M.S. in communications management from Virginia Commonwealth University.