Dr. Forrester is founder and president of Forrester Consulting, LLC. For 30 years he has worked with senior executives and venture capitalists on complex business and economic problems.

 

At M.I.T.'s Sloan School of Management Dr. Forrester earned his Ph.D. degree in the fields of system dynamics computer simulation modeling and economics.  He served on the faculty of the Department of Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  In 1985 he founded Forrester Consulting as a boutique practice applying system dynamics to problems in many industries including oil & gas, insurance, financial services, transportation, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, and manufacturing.

Most recently, Dr. Forrester served as Chief Economist and as Vice-President of Business Development and Optimization at the Georgia-Pacific Corporation, a major manufacturer and distributor of consumer tissue, paper, packaging, pulp and building products.  He developed the first end-to-end model for the company’s North American fiber system.

 

Joined by his two children in 2007, Dr. Forrester retired from Georgia-Pacific and returned to private consulting practice.

 

Dr. Forrester has written numerous books and articles in the field of system dynamics and has pioneered new analytical methods.  He helped found the System Dynamics Society and served as its President, Vice President for Meetings, and Associate Editor of its journal the System Dynamics Review.  He has given numerous speeches and presentations in Brazil, Mexico, Iran, Germany, Spain, France, Norway, United Kingdom, Canada, USA.

Matthew joined Forrester Consulting in 2007 after completing his M.B.A. at the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management. At Sloan, he worked as a research assistant for senior faculty in the strategy group, developing a management flight simulator highlighting drivers of firm growth and profitability in alternative energy markets.

Prior to his graduate studies, Matthew worked as a market intelligence analyst at BellSouth International, where he was part of a team that developed a simulation model of mobile phone operations in competitive environments.  Mr. Forrester deployed the model and trained local analyst teams in six Latin American countries, where it was used to analyze customer acquisition, usage, retention, and price response.

As an independent contractor Mr. Forrester has worked with firms such as A.T. Kearney and Georgia-Pacific, LLC. His work includes simulation in the area of risk management, long-term price trend analysis, industrial maintenance dynamics.

Matthew received his Bachelor of Science in economics from Duke University in 2001. He holds a second degree black belt in Aikido and is an instructor in Atlanta, GA.

Ms. Forrester joined Forrester Consulting, LLC from the Georgia-Pacific Corporation where she worked as an Asset Planning and Optimization Analyst.  She assisted the development of an optimization model of a multi-mill pulp and paper system, combining both engineering and financial aspects.  Ms. Forrester developed complimentary databases and spreadsheets to control model input and output. In cooperation with senior leadership, Ms. Forrester managed scenarios for M&A, capital budgeting, and product development studies.  Her work required direct contact with senior engineering staff and manufacturing executives to ensure proper calibration and ongoing model integrity.

 

As an undergraduate at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Ms. Forrester earned her Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude. She majored in Theology with a minor in Mathematics.  A member of Phi Beta Kappa and Theta Alpha Kappa, the National Honor Society for Religious Studies, her department also awarded her the Brennan Medal for excellence in her field.

 

Julia is currently an officer of the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce of Georgia, a member of the Junior League of Atlanta, and a leader of her church’s senior high youth group.  She speaks fluent Portuguese due to family ties with Brazil.  She is also fluent in French, having spent a year studying in Rennes, France.