Jim Sylvester is director of Survey Operations and an economist at the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at The University of Montana-Missoula. His primary responsibilities are demographic analysis, forecasting, and survey research. Born in Montana, he went to school in Montana, Idaho, and Nevada. He returned to Montana after college. He has a B.A. in economics from The University of Utah and a M.A. in economics from The University of Montana-Missoula. He has researched the Montana economy for the Bureau since 1980.