Michael P Davidson
Chief Executive Officer
Michael P. Davidson serves as the CEO of Gen Next, an exclusive organization of successful individuals dedicated to learning about and becoming engaged with the most pressing challenges facing future generations.
Michael joined Gen Next as the first full-time hire in 2005 to focus on the growth and development of the then start-up organization. Since then Gen Next expanded from eight Members in Orange County and Los Angeles to more than 150 Members with operations in Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Arizona, and growing nationally with Members across the country. Gen Next regularly hosts programs with dignitaries, thought leaders, political leaders, and high profile business executives. Michael has also been part of Delegations of Gen Next Members to France, Brazil, and Russia where Members dialogued on global issues with high level government and business leaders in each country.
As CEO of Gen Next, Michael is also responsible for working with the National Board of Directors and Gen Equity Committee to develop and execute strategic political plans for Gen Equity PACs of Gen Next at the federal (US House, US Senate, Presidential) and statewide (gubernatorial, legislative, initiatives) levels. In 2010, Gen Equity PACs fundraised more than $1M for Gen Equity causes in the election cycle. In election cycles prior, Gen Next Members have cumulatively fundraised more than $3.5M since Gen Next's inception. Today, the investment is paying off, Members of Gen Next and Gen Equity PACs are actively working through the political process to confront the most daunting public policy challenges and support and elevate public officials who are forward thinking and have courage.
Concurrently, he is the President of the Gen Next Foundation (GNF), which Members of Gen Next launched in 2010. GNF utilizes venture philanthropy and social entrepreneurship strategies to identify and create high impact solutions to latent and present challenges in the areas of economic opportunity, education, and global security. GNF has been active on issues ranging from countering violent extremism to energy security to education—and more.
Michael’s participation in shaping generational issues goes beyond his affiliations with Gen Next. He serves on the Board of Directors for New Millennium Secondary School, a charter high school in Carson, CA. The school is committed to preparing students to become life-long learners and dynamic leaders in the competitive 21st century. He also serves on the U.S. Board of Directors for the Quilliam Foundation, the world’s first counter-extremism think tank based in London set up to address the unique challenges of citizenship, identity and belonging in a globalized world. He is a Fellow at the Unruh Institute of Politics at USC. In the private sector, he is on the Board of PersonalCare Physicians, a healthcare company in Southern California created to offer a unique and innovative healthcare environment where patients enjoy personal relationships with their physician and their care is tailored to their specific needs.
Prior to Gen Next, Michael concluded a national political campaign, for which he was endorsed by two governors, more than thirty congressmen, California state assemblymen and senators and senior political operatives. His campaign was profiled in The New Republic Magazine,Capitol Weekly, Roll Call, The Hill, Townhall.com and The L.A. Times.
Previous positions include Director of the Performance Institute's California Government Accountability Council, a free market, government reform think tank. He has held leadership positions in three presidential campaigns and two gubernatorial campaigns.
Michael has provided commentary for CNN, Fox News, MTV, NBC, C-Span, KABC radio, Sacramento Bee, Orange County Business Journal, Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, California Political Review, Flashreport.org and more.
He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and enjoys spending time with family and friends, travel, movies, trying to play guitar, and reading.
More on Michael:
Best books: 1776, Art of Racing in the Rain, Death of a Salesman, Federalist Papers, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, To Kill a Mockingbird
Favorite holiday is Independence Day or Christmas