Jim Copeland retired as Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte & Touche in the United States and its global parent, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu on May 31, 2003.

During his tenure, Jim guided the firm through a period of the greatest revenue growth in the firm’s history and oversaw the firm’s move from the fifth to the second-largest professional services firm in the world. He also led the firm’s Task Force to define and articulate the Deloitte & Touche culture, which contributed to the firm becoming recognized as one of FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” for each of the six years (1998 – 2003) that the survey has been conducted. Under his leadership, he also received recognition for further advancing the firm’s Women’s Initiative and helped to lead the profession in the appointment of women to partner-level positions.

He currently serves as Senior Fellow for Corporate Governance with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as Global Scholar at Georgia State University’s Robinson School of Business, and as a member of the Boards of Directors for Coca-Cola Enterprises, ConocoPhillips and Equifax, Inc. He is also Chairman of Audit Committee at Equifax, and is Chairman of the Compensation Committee at Coca-Cola Enterprises.

Jim is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, Chairman of the Board of Voices for Georgia’s Children and Chairman of the Board of the American Friends of the Phelophepa Health Care Train. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Georgia Research Alliance. He previously served as an International Councilor of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and on the Board of Directors of The September 11th Fund, the New York City Partnership and the U.S.-Japan Business Council. Jim also was a member of the Council of the World Economic Forum, and has been a member of the Society of International Business Fellows since 1983.

Jim is a graduate of Georgia State University, and joined a predecessor firm of Deloitte & Touche in 1967. He became a partner in 1977, and assumed increasing levels of management responsibility, ultimately serving as vice chairman and regional managing partner. In 1992, he was selected as vice-chairman. The firm's U.S. partners elected Jim to serve as National Managing Partner in November 1994. He was elected to the positions of Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte & Touche USA and Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in 1999.

Jim and Patricia, married since 1968, are both Georgia natives. They have two sons, Trip and David, four grandsons, and one granddaughter.