Dr. Douglas A. Wilson is Chair and Co-founder of the National Talent Collaborative, a CEO-led coalition of more than 30 U.S. regional impact groups. The country’s most innovative civic problem solvers came together in early 2022, striving to close the talent and opportunity gap in the U.S. by building pathways to good jobs. Today they share learning across regions, participate in research and advocacy, and convene to advance progress in their regions and nationally.
Doug also advises CEOs, drawing from his past as a strategy and organizational consultant. In the for-profit sector, he serves on the advisory board of the History Maker Group of companies in Dallas, the Shelly Enterprise Group in Irvine, California, and serves as an advisor to the Challenger Group in Colorado Springs. He is a thought leader on business-led economic development and purpose-driven leadership and has been published in The Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review.
Doug is co-founder and retired Chair and CEO of CEO Leadership Alliance of Orange County (CLAOC), a growing community of CEOs from some of the county's biggest companies working together to build a thriving Orange County for all. Focused on building an innovation hub and a pipeline of skilled talent in the region, today Doug continues to work with CLAOC as a member of its board of directors.
Doug is also an Executive Fellow for the Higher Ambition Leadership Alliance, a community of global CEOs and executives dedicated to leading with purpose and creating higher-performing organizations that positively impact society.
Doug has been the CEO of Next Solutions, Inc. since 1990. Next Solutions contracted with public and private homebuilders to help them grow significantly in their market. The contributions of Next Solutions are acknowledged in the industry and include the first in-depth market surveys of all homebuyers in a marketplace, the first centralized “pull based” production system used in homebuilding, and the first major design center that gave customers choice in the buying process.
In the early 80’s, Doug authored TeamSight, an assessment instrument used to build high performing teams designed to provide insights into both individual and team performance. Today, this assessment is used extensively today in Fortune 500 companies around the world and is available through Wethos.AI.
Doug has a unique background, first as a psychologist with a bachelor’s degree from S.M.U. and a Ph.D. from the University of North Texas. He also earned a masters degree in theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. From 1980 to 1989 he grew both a clinical practice in Newport Beach California and a parallel business consulting practice.
Doug has also:
Taught part time at the USC Graduate School of Business in Organizational Behavior.
Worked extensively in the 80s and early 90s with Toyota Motor Sales introducing leadership practices and consulting with the head of both H.R. and strategic development.
Co-authored Leadership for Health Care in the Age of Learning with Dr. Michael Maccoby and Richard Margolies. The extensive report focused on integrated health care systems in the United States and was funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Maccoby is a world renowned thought leader on strategic intelligence for leaders.
Doug is married to Karen, and they live in Laguna Beach, California. He serves on the board of Friendship Shelter, the largest advocacy group for homelessness in South Orange County. Karen is a social entrepreneur and has started and built multiple successful non-profits. Doug loves to surf, mountain bike, hike, and play guitar.