Meet The Founder

Catherine Blake has the desire to leave a legacy for women’s leadership in her community. As founder of The Institute for Executive Women, her vision is to provide programs and opportunities to encourage, educate and connect women leaders. The institute was founded to provide a tent for women to gather, learn from each other, and develop others. The Executive Roundtable, Women’s Edition, Women’s Power Breakfast and Annual Leadership Conference will deliver on this vision.

Previously, Ms. Blake founded TechWomen | TechGirls, a program of The New Hampshire Tech Council for STEM programs, MarketPlace Connection, a ministry to raise the bar for ethics and integrity in the workplace, and Sales Protocol International, a consultancy focused on sales and marketing professional services and training. Ms. Blake has a corporate background serving in FORTUNE 500 companies before advancing to start-ups and eventually launching her own company.  

Catherine is a graduate of The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Georgia. She moved to New England to attend college and received her Bachelor’s Degree (B.A.) in Business Administration from Pine Manor College. While working full-time, she burned the midnight oil and received a Graduate Certificate in Administration (C.S.S.) from Harvard Extension School, part of Harvard University’s Division of Continuing Education. Catherine has served as an adjunct professor in sales and marketing at The University of New Hampshire’s Peter T. Paul College of Business & Economics where she founded The Center for Sales Excellence delivering sales leadership programs for undergraduate students. She is a corporate trainer, certified Dale Carnegie instructor, further refined by The Protocol School of Washington and The Emily Post Institute.

A strong believer in contributing to her community, Ms. Blake’s volunteerism has included board of director positions for The Harvard Alumni Association, Boys & Girls Club, Girl’s Inc., New Hampshire High Tech Council, and The New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Catherine received the Outstanding Women in Business Award from The New Hampshire Business Review to “celebrate women who have truly excelled, not only in their professional lives, but as leaders and role models.”