Chasen co-founded Blackboard in 1997 and oversaw the company's rapid growth from just a handful of employees and a few clients to a workforce of over 3,000 that now serves tens of thousands of clients worldwide. Chasen also oversaw the successful completion of more than twenty acquisitions and the company's transition back to private ownership in 2011 after its acquisition by Providence Equity Partners for $1.7 billion.


In the last year, Chasen has led a number of strategic initiatives including the merger with Edline, a leading provider of complementary K-12 technology solutions and the launch of a new focus on open source supported by the acquisitions of Moodlerooms and NetSpot.


"I've had an incredible experience at Blackboard, and I'm extremely proud of the work we've done to support education," said Chasen. "We've been focused on expanding the vision for how Blackboard can support clients and positioning the company for growth, including a concentrated effort to build the company's internal infrastructure in the last year. With this vision now coming into focus and our infrastructure in place, now is a good time to bring a new CEO on board to help the company take the next steps to capitalize on the global education opportunity."


"Michael has done a wonderful job in creating and growing Blackboard, and the leadership position he created for Blackboard was the primary reason Providence Equity Partners was attracted to the company and acquired it last year," said Steve Alesio, Chairman of Blackboard's Board of Directors.


"We are fortunate to have Jay, with his exceptional experience in the software industry and track record of innovation and leadership, join us to lead Blackboard into its next chapter of growth. He shares Blackboard's commitment to excellence, and we are excited to work with him to continue to innovate and provide top quality software and solutions to the rapidly evolving education space."