James Forcier, PhD, is managing director of the strategy consultancy Bay Analytics and chair of the applied economics program at the University of San Francisco.

As a consultant he has assisted such firms as AT&T, Bluetooth SIG, BMC Software, Charles Schwab, Cisco Systems, Maersk, PCTel, Sun Microsystems, and VISA. Prior to consulting, Dr. Forcier held positions as AirTouch Communications' director of strategic technology, Pacific Telesis' competition manager, and Holtz Corporation's chief executive officer.

A member of the American Economics Association and the National Association for Business Economics, Dr. Forcier is the former business & economics chair of the Commonwealth Club of California. He has been quoted in such publications as The Boston Globe, Business Week, Nation's Business, Public Utilities Fortnightly, and InformationWeek; and has appeared on CNET Radio, KRON TV, National Public Radio and NBC Nightly News.

His research into the economic implications of the American legal system was published as the book, Judicial Excess: The Political Economy of the American Legal System.

Dr. Forcier received his bachelor's degree from the University of California and his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Southern California. He has taught management economics and strategy at University of San Francisco, as well as in the business schools at Golden Gate University and St. Mary's College.