Blackard was born in Peoria, Illinois, to Richard and Janice Blackard. He was the state decathlon champion for three years, running while in high school at Argenta-Oreana High School.[4] He attended Northwestern University on a track and field scholarship, later switching to a basketball scholarship during his sophomore year. Blackard was subsequently recognized as one of Northwestern's 100 most notable graduates.[5]
Real estate
After graduating from Northwestern University in 1981, Blackard moved to Texas, where he worked for Cambridge Companies. He eventually left to develop over 15,000 single homes through projects including Lakes on Legacy,[6] Griffin Parc,[6] and Pirates Beach and Cove[7] in Galveston, Texas.
After acquiring an interest in properties on the coast of Croatia, Blackard has focused much of his work on the evolution process of a village.[8] Adriatica, a $350 million vertically integrated, mixed-use development,[9] is located in McKinney, Texas and takes its inspiration from the Croatian fishing village of Supetar on the island of Brač.[10]
Adriatica in McKinney, Texas, a development of Blackard
Blackard also donated an island north of Lafitte's Cove in Galveston, renamed The Robert M. "Bob" Moore Wildlife Sanctuary,[15] to the Galveston Bay Foundation in 2007 for the conservation, protection and enhancement of the South Texas Wetlands.[citation needed]
In 2017, Blackard founded a company named Zero Global Waste. The company is primarily active in Eastern Europe.[16]
Political activism
Blackard along with Senator Rick Santorum and Tucker Carlson on the set of Carlson's show in 2021
Blackard is also an independent political activist, who supported 2012 United States Presidential candidate Rick Santorum in response to his Christian policy positions. Blackard worked to bring Santorum to his village in McKinney, Adriatica, shortly after Super Tuesday in 2012 with Santorum leading in the polls. Santorum went on to become a business partner to Blackard in Zero Global Waste.[17]
In 2017, Blackard was awarded the Friend of Croatia Award from the Association of Croatian American Professionals. He has arranged meetings with high-level officials in American politics,[18] the president of Croatia,[19] and has lobbied for a double taxation avoidance treaty.
Philanthropy
Jeff Blackard (top left) on the riverboat Linda Esperanca in Brazil in 2003
In the mid 1990s, Blackard started the organization Amazon Outreach, a Christian charity that built a 90-foot river boat to provide medical services to underserved areas of the Amazon River Basin.[20] Blackard has also traveled to over 50 countries with e3 Partners,[21] a mission organization known for its "I Am Second" campaign,[22] including Ethiopia.[23]
In 2023, Blackard became a board member of Amazi Water, an organization which provides sustainable access to clean water to communities in Burundi.[24]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
