Dr. Gary K. Michelson is founder and co-chair of Michelson Philanthropies, which includes the Michelson 20MM Foundation. He is a distinguished Board Certified Orthopedic Spinal Surgeon, world-renowned as a surgical innovator, and the most prolific inventor in medical history, with nearly 1,000 patents worldwide to his name. Millions benefit from his inventions, which revolutionized spinal surgery, making it safer and more effective.
In 2005, after selling his patents to Medtronic, the world’s largest medical device company, and resolving a related intellectual property litigation, Dr. Michelson earned a place on the Forbes 400 as a self-made billionaire. The litigation, which established new precedents in the field of patent law, became a stimulus for Dr. Michelson to create a comprehensive textbook on the subject. The Intangible Advantage: Understanding Intellectual Property in the New Economy was digitally released in 2016 free of charge. Later, he developed an undergraduate college course, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Intellectual Property, which colleges and universities have adopted throughout the country. This inspired Dr. Michelson to create the Michelson 20MM Foundation (formerly Twenty Million Minds Foundation). At its onset, Michelson 20MM funded the dissemination of free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed digital textbooks for core college courses.
Alya Michelson was born in the former USSR. Before coming to the U.S. in 2013, Alya led a fruitful and award-winning career in journalism and media, covering business, political, and military matters for the Russian press and elected officials. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Economics. Today, Alya is an integral part of the Michelson Philanthropy effort, launching FirstGen, an initiative that uplifts and supports immigrant women. Alya devotes her personal and professional experiences to making the world less unfair for those who need help and inspiration.
Phillip Kim (he/him) has led the education practice of Michelson Philanthropies since 2015. With a background in entrepreneurship and venture capital, he has overseen the development of the social impact investment platforms at the Michelson 20MM Foundation and Michelson Found Animals Foundation, providing seed funding to more than 40 mission-aligned technology startups. Phillip is actively engaged in a number of entrepreneurship programs across the country, including those at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, MIT, and Stanford University.
Mayra Lombera (she/her) provides strategic oversight to the Michelson 20MM Foundation’s portfolio of initiatives and leads its operations. In her role, she oversees the deployment of Michelson 20MM’s philanthropic capital to help the foundation realize its vision of advancing Latinx, Black, Indigenous, and low-income individuals pursuing postsecondary education. Before joining Michelson 20MM, Mayra was a middle school humanities teacher in East Los Angeles. As a first-generation college graduate, she is committed to supporting promising students from historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities access equitable opportunities to higher education.
Senior Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives
Miguel Leon (he/him) is Senior Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives with the Michelson 20MM Foundation where he helps oversee the foundation’s programmatic and policy efforts. Prior to working in philanthropy, Miguel specialized in international development as Regional Director with Creative Associates International, in the public sector as Director of Prevention Programs for the L.A. Mayor’s Office, and in the nonprofit sector coordinating mentorship programs across L.A. County. Miguel is a passionate agent of change whose 20+ years of experience includes work throughout the U.S. and Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, and Jamaica. Miguel is originally from Mexico City, grew up in East L.A., and is a graduate of UCLA. He currently serves as co-chair for Southern California Latinx in Philanthropy and as CEO for Hope Innovation Strategies.
Ryan Erickson-Kulas (he/him) oversees operations and programmatic strategies at the Michelson 20MM Foundation, focusing on enhancing internal processes and program performance. He previously led the foundation’s Open Educational Resources Initiative and developed the Michelson Spark Grant program in support of rapid response grantmaking. With a career dedicated to advancing educational equity, Ryan has continually worked with historically underinvested student populations. He previously served as the Director of Operations and Programs at Best Buddies California, promoting inclusivity for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in both educational and workforce settings. His career began as a Teach for America educator teaching high school math in rural North Carolina.
Queena Hoang (she/her) is the Senior Program Manager for Michelson 20MM Foundation’s Student Basic Needs initiative. The initiative aims to tackle the real cost of college, especially the non-tuition costs that place students in positions of housing insecurity, homelessness, food insecurity, and overall financial instability. Prior to joining Michelson 20MM, Queena worked at the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice providing technical assistance and institutional coaching to colleges around the country. She’s also served as a practitioner for over 10 years working directly with students of color, first-generation college students, former foster youth, and undocumented students. Queena completed her doctorate in educational leadership at the USC Rossier School of Education, focusing her research on creating an equity framework around housing and food insecurity within higher education.
Cristal (she/her) is the Senior Program Manager for the Michelson Center for Public Policy and Michelson 20MM Foundation’s Digital Equity initiative. In her role, she builds awareness of, and works to close the digital divide by, advocating at the state and local level and convening cross-sectoral leaders. Prior to joining Michelson 20MM, Cristal worked as a practitioner in the non-profit sector increasing STEM higher education opportunities and career pathways for BIPOC students. Cristal holds a degree in Political Economy & Public Policy with a focus on Labor Studies and Income Inequality from UC Berkeley.
Senior Program Manager, Open Educational Resources
Cailyn (they/she) is the Senior Program Manager for the Open Educational Resources (OER)initiative at Michelson 20MM. Her work aims to create a world where the cost of course materials is no longer a barrier to student success and shift the textbooks ecosystem to prioritize open as the default. By collaborating with students, educators, administrators, and advocates on the ground, Cailyn combines programmatic and organizing strategies with traditional philanthropy to create systems of change. Before joining Michelson 20MM, Cailyn was a campaign director and student organizer on textbook affordability, civic engagement, and environmental campaigns. She is passionate about revitalizing the commons as a means to create a freer and more equitable world.
Chinwe Ohanele Agwu is the Senior Program Manager for the Michelson Intellectual Property Institute, a Michelson 20MM initiative. In her role, she oversees the deployment of Michelson IP resources to community colleges, universities, and partner organizations nationwide. Before joining Michelson 20MM, Chinwe was running her own law firm, Ohanele Law Firm where she served, and continues to serve, small business owners with business law and intellectual property services. She is also an adjunct professor at USC Gould’s School of Law. Chinwe holds a BS/BA in Economics and Philosophy from the University of the Pacific and a J.D from Loyola Law School of Los Angeles.
Zach Schultz (he/him) is a Senior Investment Associate at Michelson Impact Ventures. He has a background in investment banking, equity research, and early stage venture capital. Before joining Michelson Impact Ventures, Zach held investor roles at Unicom Capital and Chisos Capital. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Colorado with a B.S. in finance. Zach then earned his M.S. in accounting with graduate honors from Regis University.
Kenia (she/her) is the Program Manager for the Michelson 20MM Foundation’s Smart Justice initiative. In her role, Kenia spearheads the initiative’s strategies dedicated to ensuring educational attainment, employment, and economic opportunities for system-impacted individuals, families, and communities. Before assuming her role at Michelson 20MM, Kenia distinguished herself as a Legislative Director in the California Senate, where she passionately advocated for public safety, energy, immigration, natural resources, California-Mexico affairs, and education. With a keen eye for policy innovation and an unwavering commitment to her community, Kenia crafted and championed her own legislative proposals with meticulous research. She is passionate about advancing justice, fostering inclusivity, and empowering communities to thrive.
Senior Program Coordinator, Michelson IP Institute
At Michelson IP, Whitley (she/her) brings her expertise to elucidate intellectual property rights while prioritizing outreach to underrepresented communities. Her passion for demystifying IP, trade secrets, and copyright law enriches our services and fosters broader IP literacy. Prior to Michelson IP, Whitley assisted in a successful product rebranding. With leadership roles in the Los Angeles chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and as a community organizer for Meetup events, Whitley actively promotes collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Her commitment to innovation energizes our IP education initiatives.
Evelyn Lucho (she/they) is the Senior Program Coordinator for the Student Basic Needs initiative. In her role, she supports the development and expansion of initiatives such as pregnant and parenting students, emergency student aid, and student housing insecurity. Evelyn has a strong background in social work and crisis intervention, where she provided therapy directly to individuals and their families. Prior to joining Michelson 20MM, Evelyn supported first-generation students and their parents/guardians in navigating systems of higher education at Cal State Fullerton’s GEAR UP program. As a first-generation college graduate, she is passionate about community care and strengthening familial support systems.
Marissa Martinez (they/them) is the Senior Program Coordinator for Student Engagement. In this role, they assist the foundation’s mission to center programming on the post-secondary education experience by managing the Michelson 20MM Student Fellowship. They also provide support to the Open Educational Resources initiative, advocating for textbook affordability. Before joining Michelson 20MM, Marissa worked in K-12 education and the mental health field serving foster youth. Those experiences, along with Marissa having been the first of their family to attend college, fuels their passion for building student power and making sure students have the resources they need to succeed in higher education.
Jen Liu (she/her) serves as Marketing & Communications Manager at the Michelson 20MM Foundation. In her role, Jen spearheads the development and execution of comprehensive communication and marketing strategies that help advance the foundation’s mission, vision, and objectives. Prior to joining Michelson 20MM, Jen accumulated extensive experience in communications within both nonprofit and corporate sectors, including Pasadena Magazine, Zócalo Public Square, and Northstar Travel Group. Deeply committed to social impact, she is passionate about causes related to education, equity, and access.
James Glapa-Grossklag (he/him) is an OER Fellow at Michelson 20MM. He currently works as the Dean of Educational Technology, Learning Resources, and Distance Learning at College of the Canyons. He previously served as President of the Community College Consortium for OER (CCCOER), President of the Directors of Educational Technology in California Higher Education, and Board President of the Open Education Consortium.
Matthew Brashier (he/him) is a Student Fellow for Michelson 20MM’s Smart Justice Initiative where he helps foster educational pathways for justice-impacted individuals. Matthew is currently a student at California State University, Santa Barbara, CSUSB, majoring in communication studies with a focus on relational and organizational communication. Prior to CSUSB, Matthew was deeply involved with student government at Riverside City College where he also worked as a statewide ambassador for the Berkeley Underground Scholars. As a formerly incarcerated student, Matthew is motivated by a desire to be a voice for students who were too afraid to speak up while raising awareness of injustices within the system.
Cristopher Espino (he/him) is a Student Fellow for Michelson 20MM’s Student Basic Needs Initiative, where he helps lessen student housing and food insecurity while advancing support for pregnant and parenting students. As a second-year student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), he is pursuing a double major in political science & education and social transformation studies. Cristopher is also the Chief of Senate at UCLA, where he oversees approximately 20 senators. Having gone through the foster care system, identifying as gay, being a first-generation college student, Latino, and the child of immigrants, Cristopher recalls times when his basic needs were not met. He is passionate about education policy, politics, and the intersection of law with education.
Francesca Romero (she/her) is a Student Fellow for Michelson 20MM’s Digital Equity Initiative, where she helps close the digital divide in Los Angeles and beyond. She is a junior at Occidental College studying diplomacy and world affairs with minors in politics and Latino/a and Latin American Studies (LLAS). Before her fellowship, Francesca interned with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), where she researched how to bring affordable or free wi-fi to Pico Union, an initiative that is important to her because Francesca and her family had firsthand experience with the Affordable Connectivity Program. An aspiring lawyer, she is passionate about human rights, housing, and digital equity.
Abba Schwartz (she/her) is a Student Fellow for Michelson 20MM’s OER Initiative, where she advances the proliferation of openly licensed educational materials and zero-textbook cost degree programs. She is a second-year student at her local community college, Sierra College, pursuing a bachelor’s in political science and will obtain an Associate of Arts in women’s studies and social and behavioral sciences. As a Cal Grant, Pell Grant, and a Ward of the State recipient, Abba has been forced to use her financial aid on textbooks due to the true cost of college. Having learned about OER, Abba advocates for students who may be in similar situations. She is passionate about learning, researching, and reading about history and social issues–passions she hopes to apply to a career as a policy analyst and professor.
Katie Wagman (she/her) is a Student Fellow for Michelson 20MM’s Textbook Affordability initiative, where she works to ensure students have equitable access to the course materials they need. She is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), studying public affairs. Katie is increasing textbook affordability through the UC system while also implementing course marking and price transparency at UCLA. Nationally, Katie aspires to stop automatic textbook billing. Upon graduation, she plans to obtain her Master’s in Public Policy to expand her work into health and housing policies.
