The Buzz – Meet Michael Chasen

Michael Chasen, chief executive office for Blackboard, is this year’s Small Business Awards (SBA09) keynote speaker. Register today for SBA09 and get the chance to meet Mr. Chasen and hear speak in this intimate setting.

As chief executive officer for Blackboard, Michael Chasen has provided the leadership to take Blackboard from a start-up company with just one product and a handful of clients to a publicly held company, with thousands of clients, offering software and services used by millions of people around the world.

Chasen’s expertise managing fast growth Internet software companies coupled with a passion to enhance education through technology has been critical to Blackboard’s success. Chasen, together with Blackboard Chairman Matthew Pittinsky, founded the company in 1997. Before founding Blackboard, Chasen served as a member of the Higher Education Practice at KPMG Consulting. He worked closely with several universities and colleges to implement wide-ranging software systems and also managed online development projects within the U.S. Department of Education.

Chasen holds an MBA from Georgetown University and an undergraduate degree in computer science from American University.