Jim Bickel has more than 35 years of experience in information technology management and consulting. Most recently, Jim spent 15 years as the IT Director for the Cleveland Foundation. Here, he planned and completed many key projects, including: the selection and implementation of a completely integrated financial, grant management and fundraising system; a VOIP phone system; and the transformation of the entire technology architecture to a virtual server environment. Previously, Jim held management positions at North American Refractories, Brush Wellman, Forest City Enterprises, and Consolidated Natural Gas. He also was part of the Cleveland Office of Ernst & Young’s small business and information technology practices for 9 years.
Jim served on the Board of Directors of the Council of Foundations Technology Affinity Group for 10 years and was also the Board Chair during his tenure. He earned a bachelor of science degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in business administration from Penn State University.