Intel Executive to Present at Bb World 2006

WASHINGTON, DC, Jan 30, 2006 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB) will host Chris S. Thomas, Chief Strategist for Intel's Customer Solutions Group, for a keynote address at Bb World 2006, Blackboard's 8th Annual Users Conference, in San Diego, February 28th - March 2nd. Mr. Thomas, a recognized thought leader in charting future directions for computing technology in education, will discuss how technology is transforming learning; focusing on the trend of mobility.

"New mobile technologies are transforming the world of education by creating anytime, anywhere, any place learning environments," said Chris S. Thomas. "Blackboard World 2006 provides an exciting opportunity for educators to hear from Intel, Blackboard and other education leaders about the latest innovations in mobile learning."

Mr. Thomas will be in the company of several other industry thought leaders scheduled to present at Bb World 2006, including:

--  Norman Coombs, Ph.D., professor emeritus from Rochester Institute of
    Technology, who will participate in a panel discussion on institutional
    assessment -- improving learning and institutional effectiveness;
--  Casey Green, Founder of the Campus Computing Project, who will host a
    live broadcast of the award-winning e-Learning program Ready2Net on the
    second day of Bb World;
--  Susan Patrick, CEO and President of North American Council for Online
    Learning (NACOL), who will discuss the impact of e-Learning on the K-12
    market; and
--  Jeff Staples, Founder of Avisian Inc, and Editor of CR80, who will
    deliver a keynote on trends and future developments in identification
    technology.

"Bb World is our most important event of the year; it's a unique opportunity for us to host clients from a wide range of locations, disciplines and markets to collaborate on educational innovations," said Michael Chasen, CEO and President of Blackboard. "We couldn't be more excited about the line-up of client-led sessions and keynote presentations for this year's conference, and the opportunity to plan and spend three days with our clients."

This year's event will feature more than 140 client-led sessions (including panel and poster sessions), and will be Blackboard's most client-centered program ever, including a dedicated K-12 track.

Blackboard, which is used by more than 2,200 universities, colleges, K-12 schools and corporate and government agencies worldwide, anticipates that an estimated 1,400 people from academic institutions and schools across the country and abroad will attend to share ideas, participate in presentations and exchange best practices related to technology in education. Bb World 2006 will center on Blackboard's mission to enable clients to educate, innovate, everywhere. More details and access to registration is available at http://www.blackboard.com/company/events/bbworld/.

About Blackboard Inc.

Blackboard Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBB) is a leading provider of enterprise software applications and related services to the education industry. Founded in 1997, Blackboard enables educational innovations everywhere by connecting people and technology. With two product suites, the Blackboard Academic Suite (TM) and the Blackboard Commerce Suite (TM), Blackboard is used by millions of people at academic institutions around the globe, including colleges, universities, K-12 schools and other education providers, as well as textbook publishers and student-focused merchants that serve education providers and their students. Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in North America, Europe and Asia.

Blackboard

Educate. Innovate. Everywhere.(TM)

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard and other statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 7, 2005 with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of January 30, 2006. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to January 30, 2006.

Blackboard Public Relations Manager:
Melissa Chotiner
Blackboard Inc.
+1 202 463-4860 ext. 2404
Intel Contact:
William Giles
Intel Corporation
+1 503 264-7550
Media Inquiries:
Dan Baum
DBC Public Relations
+1 202-298-7600 ext. 205

SOURCE: Blackboard Inc.