Matthew Pittinsky Returns to the Helm at Blackboard -- Campus Technology

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Matthew Pittinsky Returns to the Helm at Blackboard

By Rhea Kelly
11/10/26

Key Takeaways

Matthew Pittinsky has returned as CEO of Blackboard: The leadership change comes after Anthology emerged from Chapter 11, rebranded as Blackboard, and refocused on its core Teaching & Learning business.
AI is central to Pittinsky's vision for the LMS: He said AI technologies could help move learning management systems beyond course management toward a more fully realized learning experience for educators, students, and institutions.
Blackboard has also added new technology and legal leadership: Jason Simpson joined as CTO with a focus on performance, reliability, security, and innovation, while Beth Lebowitz joined as chief legal officer.

Blackboard co-founder Matthew Pittinsky has returned to the company to serve as CEO. The leadership change was originally announced this past March, when Anthology emerged from its Chapter 11 bankruptcy process and rebranded as Blackboard to focus on its core Teaching & Learning business. At the time, Anthology CEO Bruce Dahlgren stayed on to lead the transition before passing the reins to Pittinsky this week.

In a press release, Pittinsky emphasized the potential for technologies such as AI to reshape how learning management systems support educators, learners, and institutions.

"The learning management system is still largely a course management system. AI technologies provide an opportunity to fulfill the promise of what a true learning management system can do," said Pittinsky. "Our mission is to help educators turn teaching into learning. Bringing that vision to life will take the collective expertise of Blackboard's talent, working closely with educators to drive innovation and deliver a different experience."

Pittinksy is joined by two other recent executive hires:

Jason Simpson joined Blackboard as chief technology officer in September to technology strategy "with a focus on platform performance, reliability, security and the technical foundation needed to accelerate innovation," the company said.
Beth Lebowitz joined as chief legal officer, bringing 15 years of experience in technology law, corporate governance, privacy and commercial contracting.

More information on Blackboard's leadership team and strategic vision is available here.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

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