Lowell E. Adkins and Thomas Bell Named to New Management Positions at Blackboard Inc.

March 16, 2001

PHOENIX, Arizona — Today, Blackboard Inc., the leading e-Education infrastructure company, announced that Lowell E. Adkins and Thomas Bell have accepted new management positions within the company’s Commerce & Access Solutions line of business.

The addition of these executives brings more than 45 years of campus auxiliary services expertise to Blackboard.

“We couldn’t be happier to have such seasoned campus services veterans join Blackboard’s management team,” said Michael Chasen, president and CEO of Blackboard Inc. “Based on their prior experiences and reputations for leadership, I think it is safe to say that we have two of the best industry experts leading the charge for Blackboard in providing commerce and accesssolutions to the higher education market.”

Adkins, the new general manager of Commerce & Access Solutions, brings nearly 20 years of university experience to the Blackboard management team. Previously vice president of AT&T CampusWide Access Solutions, Adkins has focused on thedevelopment and strategy of the CampusWide transaction processing system product, sales and sales support.

As general manager of Commerce & Access Solutions at Blackboard, Adkins will oversee all line of business operations, including product management, software engineering, sales, marketing, professional services and client support.

Prior to working for CampusWide, Adkins was director of the DukeCard System at Duke University. At Duke, he served in various capacities related to the card program over a period of 17 years. Under his leadership, the DukeCard program became one of the nation’s leading campus commerce and access programs, processing more than one million transactions weekly.

Recognized as a pioneer and leader in the campus services industry, Adkins has consulted for a number of colleges, universities and industry organizations.

He has presented papers and conducted workshops at various regional, national and international events, including the National Association of Campus Card Users (NACCU), the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), the National Association of College Auxiliary Services (NACAS) and CardTech/SecurTech.

Adkins also assisted in the establishment of the national office of NACCU and served as president of the User Advisory Board of AT&T CampusWide.

Bell, Blackboard’s new vice president of industry relations, has been involved in the auxiliary services field for more than 28 years. Most recently, he was the executive director of Campus Auxiliary Services, Inc., at the State University of New York at Geneseo for 18 years.

As vice president of industry relations at Blackboard, Bell will establish and grow the company’s relationships with industry associations, institutional coalitions and technology standards organizations impacting commerce and access solutions within higher education.

Bell has presented seminars for a variety of professional groups including Card Tech/Secur Tech, the Eastern Association of Auxiliary Services (EACAS), SUNY Auxiliary Services Association (SASA), the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS), NACUBO and State University Business Officers Association (SUBOA).

Bell has been active in a variety of professional and volunteer organizations. He was a member of the SUNYCard Project Team that was responsible for the development and implementation of a SUNY-wide common identification card. He was one of the founding directors of NACCU and he served as president and chairman of the board of that organization.

Bell has also served as president of SASA as well as vice president and secretary/treasurer of this statewide organization. He has served for two years as chair of the membership committee of NACAS as well as the chair of the Auxiliary Services Association Subcommittee of SUBOA.

About Blackboard Inc.

Blackboard develops, licenses, and supports enterprise software platforms for bringing the educational experience online. Whether supplementing traditional brick and mortar education or enabling online distance learning, Blackboard solutions power many of the Internet’s most successful e-Education sites for courses, campus communities, and student commerce.

Blackboard’s Course & Portal Solutions and Commerce & Access Solutions power online education and related educational services at schools, colleges and universities, as well as the organizations that serve them, such as education publishers, test preparation companies and other education service providers.

Contact Information

Blackboard Inc.

Maria Gallagher, 202/463-4860 x541

mgallagher@blackboard.com

Michael Stanton, 202/463-4860 x305

mstanton@blackboard.com