James Barrood leads one of the largest technology trade associations in the country. The mission of the Tech Council is to help individuals and their organizations grow and succeed while supporting the tech, innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems across the state and region.
He sits on several boards including the NJ State Chamber of Commerce, R & D Council of New Jersey, Jumpstart Angel Network, NJ Innovation Council, Innovation New Jersey, and National Association of Corporate Directors-NJ. Prior to heading the Council, James led the top ranked entrepreneurship center at Fairleigh Dickinson University for over 10 years. Since 1997, he has been active in the regional entrepreneurial and business communities. Recognized as a Small Business Advocate (NYER) and among 'Forty Under 40 Business Achievers' by NJBIZ, he frequently speaks at business events and has appeared on MSNBC, ABC, My9, NJTV and News12.
James is the editor of the book, Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Global Insights from 24 Leaders and co-author Lessons from the Great Recession. He has been a columnist for NJBIZ, written articles for Entrepreneur magazine and newspapers/sites, including BusinessInsider.com, the Star-Ledger, NorthJersey.com, The Providence Journal, and University Business and has been widely quoted regionally and nationally. James brings with him a background in small business/family business and the real estate and automobile industries, as well as marketing and e-business expertise. He holds an MBA from Texas A&M and a BA in Economics from Rutgers University.