Jim Hayes is a co-founder of the Fiber Optic Association and current President. He has a degree in Physics and Astronomy from Vanderbilt University and did postgraduate work at UCSC/Lick Observatory. Jim has been involved in fiber optics since he was introduced to the technology by researchers at Bell Labs in 1978. In 1980, he co-founded FOTEC, the fiber optic test equipment company that was acquired by Fluke in 2001. He began training techs in fiber optics in 1982 and started Fiber U, a fiber optic training conference in 1993. In 1995, along with a dozen Fiber U instructors from many companies in the fiber optic business, schools and professional trainers, he was a co-founder of the Fiber Optic Association. Jim is the author of 9 books on fiber optics and cabling, editor of the FOA monthly newsletter and has been a columnist for Electrical Contractor Magazine since 1999.