Mr. Blackstock was born and raised in Danville, VA.  He attended the Danville Public School system and graduated from Dan River High School in Pittsylvania County, VA.  He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Old Dominion University.  He later earned a Master’s Degree in Systems Engineering and Engineering Management.  Mr. Blackstock received numerous academic and community support awards while in the field of academia. He has published papers in the fields of computer simulation, design of experiments, software development, numerical analysis, digital elevation modeling, and flight systems.

Mr. Blackstock is married to Ravette Blackstock and the father of two kids, D’Arie and Harmoni Blackstock.  Mr. Blackstock is a Mechanical Engineer in the Advanced Measurement Systems Branch located in the Research Directorate at NASA Langley Research Center.  He specializes in the field of Data Acquisition Systems for Wind Tunnels.  He has worked at Langley for twenty-one years. Mr. Blackstock is a member of the Delta Beta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated where he continues his mentorship at the Boys and Girls Club of South Hampton Roads.

Mr. Blackstock has formerly sat on the Board of Directors for the Sickle Cell Association of Hampton Roads and is the former chairperson of the Parental Advisory committee for the Portsmouth Public School system and a member of the Speakers Bureau at NASA Langley.   He is a past committee member and NASA representative for AIAA Systems Engineering Technical Committee.  Mr. Blackstock is committed to serving his community to enhance the growth of our future.