Jim serves as an active member of the IllinoisVENTURES Board and as a Director of the Illinois Emerging Technologies Fund.  He has over 45 years of experience in the international life science industry including research and development, general management, international management, investment banking and venture capital.  He is currently a Managing Partner of Foght Enterprises, L.L.C., focused on international business advisory services.  He also serves as Chairman of PharmaIn and as a Board membre of Pinnacle Biologics.

Jim was a co-founder of Vector Securities in 1988 and served as President.  He was instrumental in developing Vector into the largest Investment banking firm dedicated to serving clients in the healthcare industry. Prudential Securities, Inc acquired Vector in July 1999.  Earlier, Foght was Senior Vice President and co-head of Kidder Peabody's Life Sciences/Medical Products Specialty Group, and prior to that spent 23 years with E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., serving as a co-founder of DuPont Pharmaceuticals and as Managing Director of DuPont U.K. where he established a worldwide Technology Evaluation and Acquisition Group for DuPont in the life sciences area.

Jim is a graduate of the University of Akron and earned a PhD in Organic Chemistry with Minors in Biochemistry and Microbiology from the University of Illinois. He is a board member of several biotechnology and life science companies, and has a passionate interest in cross-border and cross cultural activities, currently serving as a Trustee of the African Wildlife Foundation and TurtleWill, both organizations focused on conservation and betterment of local communities in Africa.