Jim Spady is the President of Seattle's iconic Dick's Drive-in Restaurant chain. A 1976 graduate of Bellevue's Interlake High School, Jim earned an economics degree (summa cum laude) from Arizona State University in 1980 and a Juris Doctor degree (magna cum laude) from the University of Washington School of Law in 1983.
In addition to his long-time service on the Discovery Institute’s board of directors, Jim also serves on the board of the Association of Washington Business and the Washington State Charter Schools Association. Previously, Jim was twice nominated by the state senate and appointed by former Governor Locke to the Washington State Academic Achievement & Accountability Commission, serving six years.
Jim and his wife Fawn are twice-blessed parents and grandparents. Their 30 year old daughter earned a degree in mathematics from Hillsdale College in 2006, joined the Navy as an officer, and then earned an MBA while teaching math, physics, chemistry and radiation safety for four years at the Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion School near Charleston, SC. Jasmine is currently the VP of Communications at Dick’s. She and her husband David Donovan live in Seattle and are the proud parents of two young boys. Jim & Fawn's 27 year old son Saul is a 2011 graduate of Chapman University in Los Angeles and the President of Cre8ive Empowerment, Inc., a social media advertising agency based in Seattle.