During this year's Georgetown University Business Day 2007, Dean George Daly presented Michael Chasen, president and CEO of Blackboard, Inc. and Georgetown MBA '95 alum, with the "Business Leader of the Year" medal.

As the CEO of Blackboard Inc., Michael Chasen has led Blackboard from a small start-up company to a publicly held corporation, offering software and services to millions of people around the world.  Mr. Chasen and Chairman Matthew Pittinsky founded Blackboard in 1997, combining business development and Internet engineering skills with extensive experience in educational consulting.  His expertise in managing fast growth Internet software companies coupled with his passion for enhancing education through technology has been critical to Blackboard's success.  In addition to his Georgetown MBA, Mr. Chasen holds an undergraduate degree in computer science from American University.

About the Business Leader of the Year Award
Each year a committee of students at the McDonough School of Business chooses a business leader to receive the "Business Leader of the Year" medal.  The award honors a major leader in the business community who has made a substantial contribution to business practices and embodies Georgetown's ideals of professional excellence, responsible business management, and an ethical commitment to the service of others. Previous recipients of the award include Phil Marineau, CEO of Levi Strauss & Co., Elaine L. Chao, U.S. Secretary of Labor, and Katharine Graham, Chairman of the Washington Post Company.

About the Business Day Program
Georgetown University's Business Day Program began 26 years ago in order to bring recognized business leaders to Georgetown to discuss timely business issues.  Designed to inform the University community about the present business environment, this program expands the classroom experience outward to the greater business community, exploring issues such as business ethics, social responsibility, globalization and technology.

About the Robert Emmett McDonough School of Business

Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business is a premier business school located in the nation's capital. Founded in 1957 to educate undergraduate business students through the integration of liberal arts and professional education, the McDonough School today welcomes approximately 1,300 undergraduates, 620 MBA students, and more than 500 participants in its executive education programs annually. For more information about the McDonough School, visit http://msb.georgetown.edu

About Georgetown University

Georgetown University is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in America, founded in 1789 by Archbishop John Carroll. Georgetown today is a major student-centered, international, research university offering respected undergraduate, graduate and professional programs on its three campuses. For more information about Georgetown University, visit http://www.georgetown.edu