Contributor

Jim Pickell

President, HomeExchange.com

Jim Pickell is the President of HomeExchange.com, an advisor, angel investor and frequent guest lecturer. He joined HomeExchange.com as the chief operating officer in January 2014 and immediately made his mark by spearheading three acquisitions, contributing to the doubling of the company's membership, to include 66,000 listings around the world.

Previously Pickell founded several companies including OpenEnglish.com, Latin America’s leading online language school, now with over 2,000 employees. He served as the Senior Vice President of Sony Connect in L.A., where he was responsible for leading the digital distribution of films, music and eBooks. He started his career as an attorney focused on mergers and acquisitions but ultimately sought to collaborate with like-minded thinkers and create ideas that influence positive change. His quest lead him to HomeExchange.com, first as a Member and now as a core part of what he calls "a 23 year-old startup". Pickell is a member of the board of the Family Travel Association and an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at the Argyros School of Business and Economics.

Pickell holds a degree in economics from UC Berkeley, a law degree from Loyola Law School, and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA.

Twitter: @jimpickell

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jpickell