Judy Verses
Chief Client Officer & President of Sales & Marketing
Judy Verses is Chief Client Officer & President of Sales & Marketing and a member of Blackboard’s corporate executive team, where she helps to lead corporate operations and strategy. In this role, Verses oversees Blackboard's efforts to better serve its clients in the global higher education, K-12, and professional communities.
A highly accomplished executive with 27 years of experience in technology and technology services, her career has included significant leadership roles in sales, marketing, product management, support and channel distribution, and merger integration.
Prior to joining Blackboard, Verses served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Verizon, where she oversaw a $600 million marketing budget, 10 senior executives, and more than 1,800 employees. In this role, Verses led the successful launch of Verizon FiOs, the company’s new fiber optic video and broadband services. Her responsibilities included strategy, marketing plans and tactics, advertising, customer segmentation, data mining, alternative channel development and management, events and sponsorships, and incentives.
Prior to becoming Senior Vice President of Marketing, Verses also served as Vice President of Broadband Solutions with responsibility for growing a $1 billion broadband business. She also served as Vice President of Small Business Sales with responsibility for all distribution to small and medium business customers.
Verses began her career in sales at Xerox. Later, she held several management and leadership positions at GTE, which merged with Bell Atlantic in 2000 to form the company now known as Verizon. After the acquisition, Verses led the General Business Merger Team, which drove integration efforts for the two companies, and then developed the five-year strategic plan to guide the new company’s efforts.
Verses was a member of the Board of Future Business Leaders of America from 2003 to 2005. She was also a member of the Marketing 50, a group of top marketing executives from some of the largest and most successful companies in the U.S. Verses currently serves on the advisory boards of two start-up companies, Lattice Engines and Peek. Verses is originally from Connecticut and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from the University of Connecticut.