Director of Community Research Institute deciphers the data

Among hundreds of experts in their field-professors, administrators, and coaches-Rachel Blakeman may be the most quoted person on the Purdue University Fort Wayne campus. As director of the Community Research Institute in the Doermer School of Business, Blakeman has been interviewed by the media almost 300 times since 2020 to give stories perspective and add context.

Blakeman says her job is, "The idea of helping people understand what is happening around them."

Since joining Purdue Fort Wayne in July 2017, Blakeman has been studying northeast Indiana data and trends to gain knowledge about the region, something she excelled at early in her career as a journalist, and then as a city government compliance officer and spokesperson. She knows where to find legitimate, reliable statistics and reports to provide answers for those looking.

Sometimes reporters, nonprofits, or businesses want a clear picture of options when speculation and anecdotes are insufficient compared to facts. Blakeman provides clarity.

"I think it is really trying to be a voice of reason," Blakeman said. "I don't have a particular agenda to put forward. I try to help people understand in some kind of context. I don't think that is always applied, in part because these are complex ideas and data sets, and understanding the reliability of the data is so important."

As she has for decades, Blakeman voraciously reads journals, published research, newspapers, and magazines, focusing on credible and impartial media outlets. She has little tolerance for spin and likes well-structured positions.

"I'd much rather see a good argument that I don't support than a weakly made case for my viewpoint," she said. "In short, I look to be informed on a state or national level so that I can then localize that information when appropriate."

The job description seems to adapt to the request, but Blakeman said a major focus is helping the community understand PFW's value in the region. Along with education, the area's largest university provides expertise, understanding, and leadership in complex community discussions.

During two recent projects, Blakeman wrote economic impact analyses on Fort Wayne's 122nd Fighter Wing of the Indiana Air National Guard and the Poka-Bache Connector trails. She has written several grants for local government and authors with Heather Tierney, associate professor of economics, an annual Indiana Business Review report predicting the area's economic outlook.

"Trying to synthesize all of Rachel's care, concern, and compassion for the Fort Wayne Metropolitan Statistical Area is like trying to bottle the beautiful Midwest summers," Tierney said. "Rachel's dedication to helping our area improve and grow with respect to both the business and residents of the local economy is inspiring."

If someone wants confirmation of hunches, Blakeman is probably not the person to ask. She reflects upon hard statistics, at times leading some to wonder if she's tilting into bad news. She likes to push the good when she can, but the data sets the tone.

"Unfortunately, there are a lot of times to be frustrated by our information and our data," Blakeman said. "I give it to you as I see it. I try to be objective. I celebrate when I can and call things out when necessary."

When commenting on economic impact stories, Blakeman often points out that area wages lag behind national average statistics. Northeast Indiana officials like to talk about affordability, but Blakeman says this area is expensive because wages have not kept pace with the cost of living.

"We have kind of lulled ourselves into thinking they were good enough, but we are not competitive nationally on a wage scale," Blakeman said. "That is something I will continue to talk about until I don't have to anymore."

Other favorite topics are how northeast Indiana needs more college graduates and to attract more corporate headquarters, along with their design and development jobs. Production-focused manufacturing jobs, Blakeman said, are not enough to lift the local economy.

She also said demographic shifts are coming that could have been forecasted decades ago, such as a decreasing workforce population as the baby boom generation advances into retirement. As Blakeman likes to say, the babies born today are the labor force 20-30 years from now.

"We have been fortunate in Fort Wayne and Allen County that our population is holding steady," Blakeman said. "There are surrounding counties where the population is declining, and there are projections that the decline is not going to reverse itself. Those trends are very hard to change."

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