Brian Blake

Brian Blake was a senior fellow and vice president of development at Hudson Institute from 2015 to 2020. He has nearly 20 years of Washington experience in both the public and private sectors, where he has worked on both national and international policy issues. Blake served as a member of Hudson’s senior leadership team, with specific responsibility for Hudson’s development function as well as helping to lead the day-to-day operations of the Institute. He is a broad-based expert on drug policy, including prevention, treatment, and interdiction. He was also the creator and host of Hudson Institute’s “Policy Talk” podcast.

Prior to joining Hudson, Blake worked in policy-oriented non-profit organizations, including serving as the Managing Director of The 2017 Project and as the Director of Strategic Operations at The Heritage Foundation. In both roles, he developed and oversaw long- and short-term strategy for promoting key policy proposals in areas such as healthcare, tax reform, regulation, education, and energy, among others.

Before Heritage, Blake worked for General Electric (GE) in the company’s Washington, DC, offices where he managed GE’s corporate public affairs strategy on defense and energy issues, and helped develop public affairs strategies for GE’s many businesses, including aviation, oil and gas, water, nuclear, wind, and coal. He also managed GE’s presenting sponsorship of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration.

Prior to joining GE, Blake worked for eight years at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy where he served as the Deputy Chief of Staff. Under the leadership of Drug Czar John Walters, Blake played a key role in developing innovative new approaches to reducing the demand for drugs among young people and getting more drug-dependent individuals into treatment. These initiatives, such as the Access to Recovery (ATR) program, the Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program, and random student drug testing helped contribute to a 25-percent reduction in teen drug use between 2001 and 2008, the lowest level seen since the early 1990s. Blake also led the White House’s efforts on combating steroid use in both amateur and professional sports, representing the United States at international anti-doping meetings around the world. He served on the Finance Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency and represented the United States at drafting sessions of the United Nations’ International Convention Against Doping in Sport.

Originally from San Jose, California, Blake received his M.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park and his B.A. from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He and his wife Rebecca reside in Lorton, Virginia, with their four children.