Our Team

James V. Koch is Board of Visitors Professor of Economics and President Emeritus at Old Dominion University. He has held positions at Illinois State University, California State University at Los Angeles, the University of Grenoble (France), Brown University, Rhode Island College, Ball State University, the University of Hawai’i, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia and the University of Montana. He served as President of the University of Montana (1986-1990) and Old Dominion University (1990-2001) and was named one of the 100 most effective college presidents in the United States.

With over 20 years of experience in economic research, education, and leadership, Dr. Barbara Blake is the Executive Director of the ODU Office of Monarch Internships and Co-Ops at Old Dominion University. She oversees all aspects of this new Presidential initiative which aims to create high-impact work-based programs that connect ODU students with employers and prepare them for the changing world of work.
Dr. Blake holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business from High Point University, a Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Leeds, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from The George Washington University. She is a recognized expert in regional economic analysis, workforce reintegration, wage and leadership gaps, and urbanization. She has published and presented in the United States and UK on these topics and as Senior Research Fellow at the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy has been a contributing author to the influential State of the Region and State of the Commonwealth reports since 2015. Dr. Blake is passionate about bridging the gap between academia and industry, and empowering students to achieve their academic and career goals. She has appeared in Yahoo Finance, Inside Higher Ed, Reuters, LAW360, Virginia Business, COVA Biz, the Virginian Pilot and Daily Press, WY-Daily as well as television and radio in Virginia and the United States.