Blake Naughton is a Senior Fellow at NCHEMS, collaborating on projects to improve how universities serve learners, organizations, and communities. He has over 25 years of experience in academia and government service, including a decade in executive roles, most recently as vice president for engagement and extension at Colorado State University (CSU) from 2019 to 2022. Blake has taught in a breadth of higher education institutions, from public community colleges to private research universities, in courses such as management, policy, education, and technical subjects, from non-credit to doctoral levels. Outside of academia, he has worked in higher education policy as a research associate at the Missouri Department of Higher Education, a policy analyst at the National Center for Higher Education and Public Policy, and as an analyst in education and labor policy for the Congressional Research Service. Blake is currently a professor of human development and extension specialist in workforce development at CSU, where he focuses on how individual fulfillment and work-based lifelong learning lead to organizational success. His expertise is in optimizing organizational policies and operations to effectively promote equity, engagement, and excellence.