Fostering the right solutions & connections

Order Give Your Parents a Standing Ovation!: For Caregivers of Elderly ParentsDr. Gybrilla Ballard-Blakes is an adjunct professor at Webster University. She previously held the position of the chief of the Personnel Security Section for the Executive Office for the U.S. Attorneys. Ballard-Blakes has served as a guest speaker for the Federal Government Oversight Manager’s courses and Administrator Officer’s conferences, as well as several US Attorneys conferences. She has acted as a Personnel Security Adjudication Expert for all US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation field offices, and has acted as a Personnel Security Adjudication Expert for the 94 US Attorneys offices. Ballard-Blakes is author of the book Give Your Parents A Standing Ovation, For Caregivers Of Elderly Parents. She is also a writer and promoter of the stage play based on the book. Ballard-Blakes has been a guest on several media segments, such as the 2017 WUSA Channel 9 Great Day Washington Memorial Day show, on Military Women Leaders and Outstanding Women in Leadership, and on a 2017 Comcast show on AARP’s senior programs on caregiving, brain health, and Life Reimagined.She is the executive director for “Pep Rally for Peace in the Streets. Ballard-Blakes has been a guest speaker at several outreach programs, such as the “Pep Rally for Peace in the Streets (PRPIS)” and acted as a keynote speaker for the Prince George’s County Alzheimer’s Awareness Rally and for the chamber of commerce in Camden, SC on elderly caregiving. Ballard-Blakes is a member of the 2017 AARP and John Hopkins Focus Group on dementia. She has also spoken at several churches, libraries, book signings, senior centers and community gatherings on Alzheimer’s, brain health, Life Reimaged, dementia, and elderly caregiving. Ballard-Blakes is an AARP Virginia and Maryland Diversity Ambassador Volunteer, a member of the AARP Brain Health Speakers Bureau, an Alzheimer’s Association, National Capital Chapter Committee Member, and Dementia Friendly American (DFA) County Leads Committee Member.

Ballard-Blakes participated in the Joint Security Task Force Center/Personnel Security Research Center (JSTC/PERSEREC) Personnel Security initiative, the US Office of Personnel Management Suitability Working Group, the Joint Reform initiative of qualify improvement in adjudicative processes, the Performance Accountability Council (PAC) Training Subcommittee, and the Security Adjudicator Working Group (SAWG) as a senior personnel security subject matter expert. Ballard-Blakes has provided several security related briefings and training on Capitol Hill.

Ballard-Blakes served as a personnel security specialist instructor for the Defense Security Service Education and Training Academy. She was responsible for developing and presenting expertise training and security awareness throughout the U.S. and abroad, to Department of Defense (DOD) military, civilians, contractors, and other federal agency personnel. Ballard-Blakes is currently a full adjunct professor at Webster University (Joint Anacostia-Bolling, Joint Base Myers-Henderson Hall, Joint Base Andrews, and Fort Belvoir campuses for over 16 years). She was a nominee of the 2016 Kemper Outstanding Teacher Award. Blakes was awarded the Webster University 2016 National Capital Region Faculty Member of the Year Award for Excellence in Teaching and Service. She also worked for Washington Headquarters Service, Office of the Secretary of Defense as an adjudicator, personnel security specialist, security awareness expert, total quality management liaison, and special security contact officer, who managed the Department Of Defense Congressional Program and all presidential commissions and advisory boards relevant to the United States Department of Defense.