Deborah Blake

Founder and president

Deborah Blake’s experience with the 55+ mature consumer began at Del Webb, where her 22-year career spanned leadership roles in the Design Center, Sales and Marketing, Community Visioning and Start-Up, Operations, and ultimately, the national in-house Del Webb expert for the Pulte Group. She has been involved in the start-up and operations of large Sun Cities as well as the development of new active adult and age-targeted concepts that responded to emerging market and consumer segments, expanding 55+ market share for Del Webb in Sun Belt and four-season U.S. markets. She has developed organizations from the ground up, managed successful teams, and in 2009, as the national director of marketing, she led the repositioning of the Del Webb brand and was the in-house expert advising Pulte operators in 21 U.S. markets with the on-the-ground execution of the Del Webb community experience. Prior to launching The Ipsum Group, Deborah served as senior vice president of marketing for Robson Communities, where she directed all aspects of repositioning the 40-year-old brand as a premium brand in the active adult community category.

Deborah is a full member of the Urban Land Institute and currently holds a leadership position in the Silver Flight of the Community Development Council. She is also an active member of National Association of Home Builders’ 50+ Housing Industry Council and served on its board of trustees in 2013. As a thought leader in the industry, she has been a speaker at national and regional events, a judge, and written articles on the subject.