James Barrood is among the top leaders of the east coast’s innovation ecosystem. Over the past 20+ years he has helped nurture entrepreneurial, innovation and technology communities and for the past five years he led one of the largest regional tech trade associations, the New Jersey Tech Council. He has been recognized as a Power 100 List leader and a Top 100 Influencer for 2018 and 2019. Prior to heading the Tech Council, James led the top ranked entrepreneurship and innovation center at Fairleigh Dickinson University for 17 years. He is currently an advisor at Tech Council Ventures, a $55 million fund.

James is the editor of the book, Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Global Insights from 24 Leaders and co-author of Lessons from the Great Recession. He has written articles for Entrepreneur, Business Insider and other publications and has been widely quoted regionally and nationally. He frequently speaks at regional and global conferences on entrepreneurship, innovation and ecosystem development. James sits on several boards including the NJ Chamber of Commerce, the R&D Council of New Jersey, Jumpstart Angels Network and Innovation NJ. He holds an MBA from Texas A&M and a BA in Economics from Rutgers University.