Noel Perry

Noel Perry is a businessman, philanthropist, and the founder of Next 10, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that educates and empowers Californians to improve the state’s future. Next 10 is focused on innovation and the intersection between the economy and the environment. The organization has released several groundbreaking reports including the annual California Green Innovation Index, which analyzes key economic and environmental indicators that document the role innovation plays in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while growing the economy. Next 10 also produces interactive public engagement tools, including the California Budget Challenge and the voter education platform California Choices. Before founding Next 10 in 2003, he was managing director of Baccharis Capital Inc., a socially responsible venture capital fund that he founded in 1991. He has backed multiple business successes, such as the interactive educational company Leap Frog and the organic baby food company Earth’s Best. He is a member and former chair of the board of trustees for the California College of the Arts, and is a member of the advisory board of the Santa Clara University Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. Currently, he also serves as a member of the advisory council for LeaderSpring Center, a Bay Area organization focused on equity-driven social sector leadership development. He also sits on the Public Policy Institute of California’s Statewide Leadership Council. In 2003, he founded 100 Families Oakland (now 100 Families Alameda County) to help strengthen disadvantaged neighborhoods through intergenerational art making. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer, building water projects in rural Yemeni villages. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and he holds an MBA from George Washington University and a BA from the University of Rhode Island.