M. Brian Blake was first exposed to computers when his father, a jack of all trades who managed gas stations in Savannah, Ga., bought an Apple.
The fourth-grader took it over and began subscribing to a computer science magazine that carried coding for software programs. He’d make mistakes typing in the coding, or the magazine would print it wrong. He’d play around with the coding to make it work.
Overall, Blake says, he had “humble beginnings.” He started pumping gas when he was around 8 years old. He kept one pocket for the money customers paid for gas, and the other pocket for tips, which he put in a savings account.
But Blake kept learning more about computer science. His parents sent him to a summer computer camp. His interest opened doors for him.
Blake ran through those doorways. He got a bachelor’s degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology, became a software troubleshooter for corporations, collected a master’s degree and a Ph.D., and taught and did research in computer science, writing many scholarly articles.
Last July, Blake became vice provost for academic affairs and dean of the graduate school at the University of Miami.
He’s 41. “I’m the son of an entrepreneur,” Blake says, to explain his energetic, pragmatic approach to life.
