Our Story
Dr. Gary Michelson and Driving Progress in Education
It All Started With “The Big 5”
The Vision
Dr. Gary Michelson and his wife, Alya Michelson, formed the Michelson 20MM Foundation in 2010 (formerly The Twenty Million Minds Foundation) with one goal in mind: To tackle a broken textbook publishing model controlled by “The Big 5” (the nickname for the major trade book publishing companies in the United States).
The vision was lofty: Create and provide for the use of a comprehensive, digital, higher education textbook library in an open-architecture platform to mitigate students’ expenses and, eventually, replace the costly commoditized textbooks of all high-enrollment general education courses.
In other words, build a new scalable publishing model to provide low-cost or free textbooks.
The Inspiration
Dr. Gary Michelson first became involved in this effort when he learned from a group of professors at Santa Ana College, a two-year public institution in Orange County, California, that each term, several bright and qualified students failed to complete their degrees simply because they could not afford the increasingly expensive course textbooks.
After learning that a group of professors were pooling their own money to create a textbook scholarship, Dr. Michelson was inspired to join the cause since he, too, had experienced financial hardships as a college student that pushed him to work up to 2 jobs at a time while in school.
He began by contributing his own funds towards the textbook scholarship, but was committed to finding a more enduring solution to the textbook affordability crisis.
Thus emerged the Twenty Million Minds Foundation, on a mission to increase educational access, foster academic success, and reduce cost obstacles associated with higher education.
About Us
Michelson 20MM is a private, nonprofit foundation working toward equity for underserved and historically underrepresented communities by expanding access to educational and employment opportunities, increasing affordability of educational programs, and ensuring the necessary supports are in place for individuals to thrive. To do so, we work in the following verticals: Digital Equity, Intellectual Property, Smart Justice, Student Basic Needs, and Open Educational Resources (OER). Co-chaired and funded by Alya and Gary Michelson, Michelson 20MM is part of the Michelson Philanthropies network of foundations.
Our Partners
Dr. Gary Michelson has partnered with some of the leading philanthropic and educational organizations in the country, whether it’s the pragmatic and non-partisan philanthropy of the Hewlett Foundation, or General Assembly’s efforts to make educational technology more accessible online.
Meet Our Team
Phillip Kim
Chief Executive Officer
Mayra Lombera
Chief Operating Officer
Ryan Erickson-Kulas
Director of Programs and Operations
Miguel Leon
Senior Director of Programs and Strategic Partnerships
Queena Hoang
Senior Program Manager, Student Basic Needs
Jen Liu
Marketing & Communications Manager
Cristal Mojica
Senior Program Manager, Digital Equity
Cailyn Nagle
Senior Program Manager, Open Educational Resources
Chinwe Ohanele Agwu
Senior Program Manager, Michelson Institute for IP
Zach Schultz
Senior Investment Associate
Kenia Miranda Verdugo
Program Manager, Smart Justice
Whitley Crawford
Senior Program Coordinator, Michelson Institute for IP
Evelyn Lucho
Senior Program Coordinator, Student Basic Needs
Marissa Martinez
Senior Program Coordinator, Student Engagement
Elleyse Garrett
Legal Fellow, Michelson Institute for IP
James Glapa-Grossklag
Open Educational Resources (OER) Fellow
Francesca Romero
Student Fellow, Digital Equity
Abba Schwartz
Student Fellow, Textbook Affordability
Katie Wagman
Student Fellow, Textbook Affordability
Our team consists of like-minded professionals that share Dr. Gary Michelson’s vision, to increase access to education and to improve lives along the way.
Questions about our partnerships and our mission? Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us!