Mr. Jim Wunderman

Jim Wunderman is President and CEO of the Bay Area Council, a CEO-led public policy and advocacy organization formed in 1945 that works to shape the future of the Bay Area and maintain it as the most innovative, globally competitive, and sustainable region in the world. In the 1950s, the Council gained notoriety for creating a regional mass transit, fixed rail system that became BART. Since becoming CEO in 2004, Jim has dramatically expanded and deepened the Council’s reach and influence throughout the Bay Area, Silicon Valley, California, the nation and the world. As the leading steward of the Bay Area, the Council has grown during Jim’s tenure to include more than 325 member companies across many industries. He has positioned the Council as a leading voice for business and the economy on a wide range of issues, including business climate, public safety, housing and homelessness, transportation, climate resilience and more. Appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Jim also serves as Chair of the Water Emergency Transportation Authority, developer and operator of San Francisco Bay Ferry, which the Council played an instrumental role in creating. Jim is the Founder and serves as Chairman of the New California Coalition, an influential statewide organization leveraging the power of business and civic organizations to advance commonsense solutions to key issues and improve the state’s overall business climate. Since 2008, Jim annually teaches a graduate course on Executive Leadership at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management.