HARRISBURG – Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Yablonsky announced that John Blake, of Archbald, Lackawanna County, has been appointed as the agency’s executive deputy secretary, responsible for the daily administration and operational oversight of the department.
Yablonsky noted that Blake brings to his new position more than 25 years of experience in the public and private sectors, and has played a pivotal role in executing Governor Edward G. Rendell’s economic development and community revitalization initiatives throughout northeastern Pennsylvania.
“Pennsylvania is fortunate to have someone with John’s extensive background and experience help lead our economic and community development efforts,” said Yablonsky. “John brings a proven track record of achievement to this position, as well as a keen acumen on important issues we’ll face as we continue to follow Governor Rendell’s vision for the commonwealth. John will no doubt quickly prove a valuable addition to our department as we continue to revitalize the state’s communities and position Pennsylvania for a leading role in the advanced economy of the 21st century.”
While serving as the director of Governor Rendell’s Northeast regional office for the past four years, Blake helped to secure $15 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Labor and lead the effort to establish a “Wall Street West” initiative in northeastern Pennsylvania, intended to foster growth in the region’s financial services industry.
He was also instrumental in spearheading strategic planning efforts for priority community and economic development projects in the region that garnered $85 million in federal and state funding.
Prior to joining the administration, Blake worked as the vice president and senior development advisor for PNC Bank’s northeast and central Pennsylvania markets, where he managed a $35 million portfolio of community development investments, served as the primary community development advisor, and managed the PNC Foundation’s budgets in both markets.
He was selected from among 9,000 applicants nationwide to serve a two-year Community Builders Fellowship with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Philadelphia. In that capacity, he represented HUD in 17 eastern Pennsylvania counties when marketing HUD programs and
monitoring contracts for compliance and performance.
Blake was also executive director of the Lackawanna County Redevelopment Authority, where he focused on housing, community development and economic development projects and assumed increasingly greater responsibility over 15 years.
He holds a number of professional affiliations, including service with the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, the Advocacy Alliance, the Great Valley Technology Alliance, and the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority.
Blake, 46, is a lifelong resident of Archbald, and is married with two children. He is a graduate of Villanova University and holds master’s degrees from Marywood College and the University of Scranton.
