With 20+ years of experience in higher education, the nonprofit sector, and local government, Blake is an executive leader with a focus on building the talent pipeline for Harris County. He currently works as Chief Talent Officer for Harris County Precinct 4, which serves roughly 1.2 million constituents in the nation's third-largest county. In that role, he builds and aligns a team of 480+ public servants and equips those leaders to make an impact across the region. Before accepting his current position, Dr. Ellis served as a professor, associate vice president, vice president, and Chief Engagement Officer. From his start as an adjunct faculty member to the present, Blake has focused on developing a diverse talent pipeline and helping organizations build strong, inclusive teams. He has also been a steadfast advocate for equity-based leadership and a creator of systems-level change. Most fundamentally, he is motivated by his deep belief that what happens in Harris County resonates across the country. Blake earned his Ph.D. in 20th-century political history from Rice University and holds master's degrees from Baylor University and Rice University. He is a two-time recipient of National Endowment for the Humanities awards, winner of Rice University’s Stockbridge Vaughan prize, a Lone Star College-CyFair Student Success Lifetime Achievement Award, and the recipient of the Robert McGehee Equality Award.He is a co-founder of New Leaders Council-Houston, past board member for the Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus, past treasurer for Equality Texas, and a proud member of Houston-Gulf Coast American Leadership Forum Class 62. He lives in Houston with his husband and their two children.
Listed skills include Teaching, Editing, American History, Research, and 23 others.
