SumTotal Systems President Kevin Oakes Tapped as 2006 Chair of The ASTD Board of Directors

Learning and business performance industry leader will serve as chair-elect in 2005

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA (August 3, 2004) – SumTotal Systems (NASDAQ: SUMT), the industry’s largest provider of learning and business performance technologies, services and processes, today announced that its president, Kevin Oakes, has been named by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) as the organization’s 2006 chair of the board of directors. Oakes, who currently serves as the board’s treasurer, will serve as chair-elect in 2005 before assuming the role of chair at the beginning of 2006.

As chair, Oakes will work with the board and CEO to lead the coordination of the organization’s strategy and direction, represent the board and its leadership to ASTD’s 70,000 members and associates worldwide and represent the organization on issues of workplace learning and performance to a wide variety of international audiences. Oakes also will serve as an ASTD spokesperson during his tenure as chair, represent the organization with government, labor, business and media organizations across the globe, develop relationships with industry organizations, and represent ASTD in publications covering learning and business performance.

“I’m honored to have been chosen to serve as ASTD chair-elect and as chair in 2006,” said Oakes. “As a long-time member of the association, and as a member of the board, I have found it incredibly rewarding to be in the company of some of the best, most innovative minds in the industry. I look forward to the opportunity to able to continue to build on momentum ASTD has generated, and to help lead the organization in new directions, particularly around learning’s proven ability to accelerate organizational performance.”

With well over a decade of leadership experience in the learning and business performance industry, Oakes is considered one of the leading experts on the use of technology in the learning profession. Prior to his position as president and director of SumTotal, Oakes served as Click2learn's chairman of the board after 2001, its CEO from 2000-2004 and as president from 1997 - 2000. Before joining Click2learn, Oakes was president and founder of Oakes Interactive, an award winning technology-based training company in Needham, Massachusetts, which merged with Click2learn in 1997. In addition to his position on the ASTD board, Oakes is also a member of Elliott Masie's TechLearn Consortium, is an advisory board member of Development Dimensions International (DDI), a past board member of the Instructional Systems Association (ISA) as well as an advisory board member of Longworth Ventures, a Boston area venture capital firm. Oakes is currently a regular columnist and editorial advisor to T+D Magazine, and is a frequent author in various publications and speaker at industry events.

About ASTD

ASTD is a leading association of workplace learning and performance professionals, forming a world-class community of practice. ASTD's 70,000 members and associates come from more than 100 countries and thousands of organizations--multinational corporations, medium-sized and small businesses, government, academia, consulting firms, and product and service suppliers.

About SumTotal Systems

SumTotal Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: SUMT) is the business performance and learning technology industry’s largest single provider of technologies, processes and services. Formed by the merger of industry pioneers Docent and Click2learn, the company is uniquely focused on helping organizations harness and manage mission-critical intellectual power to solve real-world business problems and produce significant bottom-line results. SumTotal has helped accelerate performance and profit for more than 600 of the world’s best-known companies, including Microsoft, Cingular Wireless, Vodafone, Lucent, Accenture, Cendant, Harley-Davidson, Wyeth, Wachovia and D & B. SumTotal Systems is headquartered in Mountain View, CA, with offices throughout the US, as well as in London, Paris, Heidelberg, Sydney, Tokyo and Hyderabad, India.

Safe Harbor Statement/ Forward-Looking Statements

Information in this press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about future business operations, industry leadership, financial performance and viability, customer benefits, timing and features of our product offerings, acceptance of our solutions, expected innovation, and other potential benefits and synergies to be derived from the transaction and other market conditions that include risks and uncertainties. These statements are not historical facts or guarantees of future performance or events and are based on current expectations, estimates, beliefs, assumptions, goals and objectives, and SumTotal Systems does not assume any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future results and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from the results expressed or implied by these statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, (i) the challenges and costs of integration and restructuring and the ability to achieve anticipated synergies associated with the recent merger; (ii) an emerging and rapidly evolving market, (iii) market uncertainty with respect to the merger and acceptance of SumTotal Systems’ product offerings by customers and partners; (iv) adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; (v) delays or reductions in information technology spending; (vi) the ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees; (vii) intense competition in the marketplace and (viii) other events and other important factors disclosed previously and from time to time in SumTotal Systems’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its quarterly report on Form 10Q filed on May 17, 2004.