A retired advertising and public relations executive, Jim Foster has been a Durango resident since 1992, first as a part-time resident and then full-time since 1999. An Iowa native, he lived in New York City most of his adult life, retiring as Chairman and CEO of Brouillard Communications, the corporate communications division of J. Walter Thompson Company. Jim actually started his career as a journalist with the Des Moines Register, with assignments ranging from sports to politics. He joined J. Walter Thompson in 1961 and was one of three founders of Brouillard Communications in 1968.

Jim's corporate work at Harvard Business School, Columbia College and the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University led him to volunteer on marketing projects at Durango's Fort Lewis College, where he has served on the Marketing Committee of the College. He was Chairman of the Fort Lewis College Foundation for three years, and is also a member of the Professional Associates Council and several other committees. Jim is also a long-time supporter and member of the board of directors of Music in the Mountains, Durango's summer festival of classical music, and served as President of the organization from 2000 through 2003. He was named Volunteer of the Year for 2005 by the Durango Chamber of Commerce and was presented with the Distinguished Service Award by Fort Lewis College at the December 2005 commencement ceremony.