Note: this is a heavily summarized version of this TI-Planet article (available in both English+French)
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Texas Instruments has announced a change in the presidency of its EdTech division: Laura Chambers succeeds Peter Balyta, who held the position since 2014 after Melendy Lovett (2004-2014).
Peter Balyta, after 25 years at TI (11 as president), announced his TI retirement in mid-August via a positive social media message, thanking educators and partners worldwide. He started as a middle-school and high-school teacher in Quebec before joining TI in 2000 as Manager, quickly growing there.
Laura Chambers joined TI in 2001, holding roles in supply chain, product management, and sales. Most recently, she led global sales and marketing for educator access to TI tech. She has degrees in industrial engineering and an MBA, with prior experience at Nortel and Raytheon.
The transition might look a bit unexpected, given Peter's young age (55) and TI EdTech's strong US market performance. It might be a personal decision after 25 years, or possibly a strategic refresh by TI corporate, especially due to the various challenges TI EdTech is facing recently.
Key achievements under Balyta (2014-2025):
- 2015: Replaced the TI-84 Plus C SE with the thinner, lighter, and more powerful CE models.
- 2015-2016: Emphasized programming tutorials, TI Codes, and started the online ecosystem.
- 2016-2017: Launched TI-Innovator Hub and Rover for STEM robotics.
- 2019: Introduced TI-Nspire CX II (later with Python coding update)
- 2020: Supported micro:bit and TI-RGB Array; COVID response with loans, free licenses, training resources...
- 2021-2024: Generalized Python, enhanced teacher content and exam modes.
- 2022: Online TI-84 Plus CE; Tello drone support.
- 2023: Online TI-Nspire CX II.
- 2025: CoDrone drone support.
Challenges and criticisms:
- Dated design/UX compared to competitors like NumWorks, losing market share quickly in France.
- Quality issues with Li-Ion batteries since 2023, in parallel with cost-reductions changes
- Reputation hit by various lone-wolf hacks, which happened to lead to feature blocks (no more ASM on the CE).
- Some loss of confidence from exam boards favoring more and more digital tools like Desmos, and banning CAS.
In any case, despite this, Peter Balyta leaves a strong EdTech division with a unique Python + STEM + training ecosystem. Perhaps a bit too much STEM-peripherals-oriented for some especially for non-Americans! Laura Chambers' appointment could bring updates to the business strategy, hardware and software, we will see at the next T3 international conference...!
In any case, we sincerely wish her the best! After all, the better TI EdTech continues to do, the more alive the community will be
______________________________________________________
Texas Instruments has announced a change in the presidency of its EdTech division: Laura Chambers succeeds Peter Balyta, who held the position since 2014 after Melendy Lovett (2004-2014).
Peter Balyta, after 25 years at TI (11 as president), announced his TI retirement in mid-August via a positive social media message, thanking educators and partners worldwide. He started as a middle-school and high-school teacher in Quebec before joining TI in 2000 as Manager, quickly growing there.
Laura Chambers joined TI in 2001, holding roles in supply chain, product management, and sales. Most recently, she led global sales and marketing for educator access to TI tech. She has degrees in industrial engineering and an MBA, with prior experience at Nortel and Raytheon.
The transition might look a bit unexpected, given Peter's young age (55) and TI EdTech's strong US market performance. It might be a personal decision after 25 years, or possibly a strategic refresh by TI corporate, especially due to the various challenges TI EdTech is facing recently.
Key achievements under Balyta (2014-2025):
- 2015: Replaced the TI-84 Plus C SE with the thinner, lighter, and more powerful CE models.
- 2015-2016: Emphasized programming tutorials, TI Codes, and started the online ecosystem.
- 2016-2017: Launched TI-Innovator Hub and Rover for STEM robotics.
- 2019: Introduced TI-Nspire CX II (later with Python coding update)
- 2020: Supported micro:bit and TI-RGB Array; COVID response with loans, free licenses, training resources...
- 2021-2024: Generalized Python, enhanced teacher content and exam modes.
- 2022: Online TI-84 Plus CE; Tello drone support.
- 2023: Online TI-Nspire CX II.
- 2025: CoDrone drone support.
Challenges and criticisms:
- Dated design/UX compared to competitors like NumWorks, losing market share quickly in France.
- Quality issues with Li-Ion batteries since 2023, in parallel with cost-reductions changes
- Reputation hit by various lone-wolf hacks, which happened to lead to feature blocks (no more ASM on the CE).
- Some loss of confidence from exam boards favoring more and more digital tools like Desmos, and banning CAS.
In any case, despite this, Peter Balyta leaves a strong EdTech division with a unique Python + STEM + training ecosystem. Perhaps a bit too much STEM-peripherals-oriented for some especially for non-Americans! Laura Chambers' appointment could bring updates to the business strategy, hardware and software, we will see at the next T3 international conference...!
In any case, we sincerely wish her the best! After all, the better TI EdTech continues to do, the more alive the community will be
