Professional bio for blair durham

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Blair Durham was born in Norfolk, VA  to O'Neal and Barbara Fornville. Blair grew up in South Norfolk, where she attended Rena B. Wright Elementary School, George W. Carver Intermediate, Oscar F. Smith Middle School, and Oscar F. Smith High School, where she graduated with honors and an advanced diploma in 2001. Blair graduated 16th out of a class of 324. Her earliest education memories are of her time as a preschooler at St. Thomas AME Child Care Center where she began attending when she was 2 years old. 

Blair matriculated as a freshman at Virginia Tech in the fall of 2001. There she was a Dean's List student and a pioneer activist, paving the way for important initiatives that would improve campus life for Black students as well as as faculty. She earned degrees in Psychology and Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Black Studies (Africana Studies), Women's Studies, and Sociology. Blair took every class offered including independent studies, TA programs, graduate level classes, and summer school options.

Following undergrad, Blair worked to build skills and relationship back in Hampton Roads and looked to develop a nonprofit organization unsuccessfully in 2009. Over the course of a decade Blair served her community as a teacher, case manager, academic advisor, counselor, and a sales manager.

A significant turning point came about in 2014 when Blair met her husband Bashiri while they were both in orientation at a local counseling firm. Seeing his frustration and desire for change, Blair suggested they work to involve themselves in the struggle for economic equity. By the fall of 2016, Black BRAND was born as the 3rd iteration of a Black Chamber of Commerce for the Hampton Roads Region.

Under that banner, Blair has worked since its inception to develop programs, amass partnerships, and leverage funding to sustain Black BRAND's mission.

To the credit of Blair and her team, the following initiatives exist as inroads to the entrepreneur and professional development ecosystem: B-Force Accelerator, Women Who Lead, Black Diamond Weekend, SURGE Community Business Academy, and Impact Collective. 

Blair and Black BRAND have received a number of honors and distinctions for their work including Power List and Top 40 Under 40 Recognition, Virginia Business Magazines 100 People to Meet in 2023, Hampton Roads Chamber's Small Business Champion of the Year Award, and Hampton Road's Workforce Council's Workforce Champion of the Year Award.

Blair's volunteer service includes serving as a director on the following boards: The Virginia Zoo, Virginia Beach Vision, Innovate Hampton Roads, Retail Alliance Foundation, Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, and Volunteer Hampton Roads. Blair also serves on the Tidewater Community College Management Advisory Committee and is an inaugural member of the newly formed Regional Organization President's Council.

Blair and her family make their home in Portsmouth, VA.