Our Team:
With decades of political experience across California, our team is ready to help you advance your cause.
Doug Linney, President
Doug has served the environmental community of California for over 35 years as an advocate, political strategist, coalition builder, and fundraiser. He likes to say he lives at the intersection of politics and the environment - serving each with equal passion.
In 1996, he founded The Next Generation (TNG) to advance the environmental agenda by offering campaign services and political strategy to nonprofit organizations, environmental coalitions, and progressive candidates. Since then he has been a consultant to over 200 political campaigns at all levels of government.
His environmental service includes past or present membership on the boards of directors for the California League of Conservation Voters, Friends of the River, Coalition for Clean Air, the Planning and Conservation League, and the East Bay Municipal Utility District.
He has also been a serial social entrepreneur, founding new non-profit organizations including Activate America, ZEV2030, EcoLogical Solutions, Center for Voter Engagement, ecoVenture, Green Watchdog, and the Headwaters Sanctuary Project. dlinney@nextgeneration.org
Donald Lathbury, Campaigns Director
Donald joined TNG as our Communications Director in October 2017. Previously, he served as Congressman John Garamendi’s Communications Director for eight years (including time when he served as California’s Lieutenant Governor), where he helped coordinate the Congressman’s message and priorities. Prior to that, Donald served as Deputy Communications Director in the offices of Speaker Fabian Nunez and Speaker Karen Bass. He serves as the Co-Chair of the Political Action Committee of the Alameda County Democratic Party Central Committee, as a California Democratic Party Delegate, and as an ExCom Member and the Political Representative for the Sierra Club Northern Alameda County Group. He is the former president of East Bay Young Democrats and served as the Chair of the Berkeley Transportation Commission.
Donald attended the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Political Science. While there, he was Editor-in-Chief of the Berkeley Political Review, Berkeley’s only non-partisan political magazine. donald@nextgeneration.org
Nidia Mikkonen, Art Director
Nidia works closely with our staff to design original, fresh, graphically striking campaign logos, mail pieces, and campaign literature for our clients, often on very tight deadlines.
Nidia has worked with Doug Linney and TNG for over 20 years. She has also done design work for The California Bar Association, Alameda County Community Food Bank, Clean Water Action, Fred Finch Youth Center, the Labor Project for Working Families, and the California Child Care Resources and Referral Network.
For examples of Nidia’s work, please visit www.mikkodesign.net.
Kathy Neal, Client Relations Manager
Kathy Neal, a veteran of working in, managing, and directing political campaigns since her college days, has over 35 years in business management, more than 25 years of public sector involvement, and 15 years serving in in statewide and local government regulatory and policy-making positions. She is recognized for multi-faceted strategic thinking, organizational abilities, and creative communications and messaging.
Kathy represented the California State Assembly on both the CA Integrated Waste Management Board and State Bar Board of Governors, was a gubernatorial appointee to the CA Community Colleges Board of Governors and a Port of Oakland Commissioner. She has been elected to and an officer of the Alameda County Democratic Party, President of the Oakland Community Fund and has been on numerous non-profit and community service boards.
A published author, Kathy earned a BA in Political Science from the California State University at Los Angeles; a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of San Francisco; and two Business Management Certificates from Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business. kathy@nextgeneration.org
Nik Childers, Campaign Associate
Nik earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Davis in 2023. During his undergraduate studies, he collaborated on a mixed-media campaign to support a local business in reestablishing its community presence after the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Professionally, Nik has built a successful career as a semi-professional photographer, with work published in prominent outlets such as The Washington Post, Oprah Magazine, and J.P. Morgan Chase. His portfolio spans a wide range, from capturing Michelin-star restaurant banquets to photographing high-profile individuals, including Olympic gold medalists, Grammy Award-winning artists, and renowned sports commentators.
During the 2024 presidential election cycle, Nik joined The Next Generation, contributing to mayoral, city council, and transit district campaigns across the Bay Area. He led the texting operations for all campaigns, successfully sending over 826,000 messages to voters and helping drive targeted outreach and engagement efforts. nik@nextgeneration.org