NextGen’s 10th Anniversary
Let’s Talk… NextGen’s 10th Anniversary
Celebrating 10 Years of Building a More Equitable, Just, and Climate Resilient California for All
February 20, 2026
My name is Arnold (Arnie) Sowell Jr., and I have had the honor and privilege of serving as the Executive Director of NextGen California from its very beginnings 10 years ago – as a matter of fact, I helped to build NextGen’s team from scratch. I am incredibly proud of what we have been able to accomplish over the last decade. The breadth of our impact, from the more than two hundred bills passed to the billions in budget resources secured to the number of new coalitions built, has been nothing but extraordinary and a testament to the hard work, dedication, and unshakeable belief that our work will result in significant and lasting progressive change, especially for frontline communities.
This year we celebrate our 10-year anniversary and I wanted to kick things off by taking a moment to reflect back on the past decade and acknowledge the incredible achievements and boundless growth that I’ve witnessed firsthand from this team.
In 2016, NextGen was founded with the support of leading climate activist and investor, Tom Steyer. Originally, NextGen was formed to focus mainly on climate and its related environmental policy issues. The intent was to add another strong voice to the ranks of those entities already advocating for innovative policy and funding solutions in the fight against climate change. Candidly, from the start, I had a complementary notion – that climate policy is inextricably entwined with economic, racial, and social justice issues, meaning NextGen’s work needed to be more expansive. So, from our early days, when our office was just a few of us sitting around a large conference room table in a space near the State Capitol, NextGen team members were engaged in efforts to think and act more broadly. We have grown into an organization with more than 20 full time staff fueled by a clear sense of purpose and funded by a larger base of partners.
Now, 10 years later, NextGen is one of the most influential entities in the Capitol region. Our team of policy experts and political and communications professionals advocate for progressive change that fosters a more equitable, prosperous, and climate resilient California for all – with a special emphasis on underserved and under-resourced communities. What makes NextGen so unique is that our team not only has years of professional experience but we also bring a range of lived experiences and expertise to our work – policy analysis, research, legislative advocacy, digital communications, project management, program delivery, and grassroots organizing – which allows us to develop very innovative and targeted approaches to each issue we tackle such as:
- Leading justice-centered policy development legislative strategies;
- Forging impactful and far-ranging advocacy and communication campaigns;
- Building diverse coalitions and grassroots networks; and
- Conducting original research and implementing new programs and initiatives
NextGen’s advocacy and policy work has touched multiple issue areas throughout the years, with some of our team’s top achievements Including, among other things, efforts to:
- Protect communities from the impacts of climate change;
- Address college access, affordability, and time to completion;
- Train and upskill workers to help them pursue good paying jobs;
- Combat hunger and food insecurity, especially among California’s school age kids; and
- Expand access to higher quality, affordable broadband services
NextGen is thrilled to be kicking off a year-long celebration in honor of our 10th anniversary! Stay tuned for more exclusive content celebrating 10 years of NextGen including special spotlights of the NextGen team, highlights of our top achievements from the past 10 years, testimonials from partners and Legislators, and more.
We encourage you to stay up-to-date on our work by visiting our website, signing up for our emails, subscribing to our bi-weekly newsletter, and/or following us on social media – see icons below.
Thank you for your continued support! Over the years, we have learned that it’s our partners – the committed, caring people across our state – who have made calls, written letters, signed digital petitions, joined coalitions, met with decision-makers, raised their collective voices, and donated to our non-profit that have helped us make all the difference.
Together, let's make our 10-year anniversary year the best one yet.
