Law School: UC Hastings (1981)
Foreign Languages: Japanese

In 2006 he was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to the Industry Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC) representing the high-tech sector in formulating US trade policy. The appointment marks his second Executive appointment. During the second term of the Reagan Administration he was appointed Special Counsel to the United States at our Embassy in Japan, serving on Commerce Secretary Malcolm Baldrige’s team.

A member of the American Law Institute, he has served in private practice, represented the U.S. Government as a trade negotiator in Japan, been lawyer/lobbyist for the entire U.S. electronics and telecom industries, taught international law and business, and served as General Counsel of several companies including Natus Medical Inc., a NASDAQ company. Fluent in Japanese, he has represented some of the best known American, Japanese and Europoean companies in commercial ventures. The Wall St. Journal described Foster as "that rarest of specimens-a full time lobbyist for American interests in Japan."

Foster's undergraduate work was at Alma College, MI. He attended Presbyterian Seminary and did further post-grad work at the University of California (Berkeley-Japanese; Hastings-J.D.) and Waseda University, Tokyo. Foster is Past-President of the Board of Trustees of the University of California Hastings 1066 Foundation.

Foster was a lawyer and team-leader for the Bush-Cheney Recount in Florida in 2000 and served as lawyer for the Oregon Bush-Cheney Voter Integrity Project in 2004. He was a recount attorney for Dino Rossi (WA) in 2004-2005. He is a frequent volunteer in political contests nationwide.