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. 

Before founding Next 10 in 2003, Perry 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 a member of the advisory board of the Santa Clara University Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

In 2003, Perry 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.