Dr. Debbie Blanke, Board Chair
Dr. Blanke is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. She has served the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education in Academic Affairs for ten years and is the current State Coordinator of the Oklahoma Women in Higher Education state network, in association with the American Council on Education’s Office of Women in Higher Education, and the State Coordinator for the Southern Regional Education Board’s Academic Common Market.
In her role with the State Regents, Debbie works with chief academic officers around the state, with responsibilities related to all academic offerings at each institution, academic policy, and coordinating international activities in partnership with the Governor’s International Team and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. Dr. Blanke also represents the agency on the Workforce Solutions Staffing Team for the Governor’s Council on Workforce and Economic Development addressing statewide workforce development issues. She works on statewide initiatives for expanding educational opportunities for health care students in nursing and allied health professions, serving as the Chancellor’s designee to the Oklahoma Health Care Workforce Center Board, and is also the State Regents staff liaison for operation of the Reach Higher program, Oklahoma’s statewide degree completion initiative. She works closely with the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technical Education on cooperative agreement programs offered as collaborations between higher education institutions and technology centers. As State Coordinator for the Academic Common Market, Dr. Blanke facilitates the state’s participation with 16 southern states to ensure Oklahoma students’ access to unique degree programs not offered by Oklahoma institutions. As State Coordinator for Oklahoma Women in Higher Education, Dr. Blanke advocates for and facilitates professional development to advance women in higher education roles across the state.
Prior to working with the State Regents, Dr. Blanke worked in student services, specifically in residence life programs, at three state institutions. She earned her doctorate degree in Higher Education from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Blanke is a Cameron University alumna with a Master of Science in Behavioral Sciences, and her Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education was granted by Oklahoma State University. She has accumulated over 20 years of working and teaching experiences in Oklahoma higher education institutions, including a research university, regional universities, and a community college.
Dr. Blanke and her husband of 22 years, Ray, have a 15-year old son.