David Meyer

David is the CEO and Co-Founder of Humane America Animal Foundation and Food System Innovations. He is an author, speaker and executive with deep experience at the nexus of the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, and a strong interest in environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and working to find sustainable solutions that benefit a diverse set of stakeholders. He was the interim Executive Director at the Plant Based Foods Association, works closely with many other nonprofits and for-profits in the space.

David has a long list of philanthropic accomplishments. He co-founded and ran the Adopt-a-Pet website for 22 years, taking it from just an idea, to the world’s largest nonprofit homeless pet adoption website, reaching millions of website visitors every month, and listing pets from over 19,000 animal welfare organizations. David values inclusiveness and a positive company culture, and Adopt-a-Pet was selected by The NonProfit Times as 15th on the list of the top 50 NGOs to work for in 2021. the Adopt-a-Pet website has touched millions of people's and animals' lives and has been a key part of the major reduction in animals killed in shelters over the last 20 years.

In 2000 he conceived of and co-led a consumer information/animal welfare ballot initiative, ran a 501(c)4 political organization called Campaign Humane. He helped author and testified in Congress on behalf of federal legislation to protect companion animals and their guardians, and in 2005, he co-led the animal rescue efforts in New Orleans post-Katrina. He has done many other things to save and improve the lives of animals and people. He is a co-author of the books “Total Dog Manual” and “Total Cat Manual”.

His passion to defend those less powerful is tied to a lifetime of martial arts training. He is one of the "Dirty Dozen"- the first Americans to earn a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and is the first American to win a medal in a world championship at the black belt level. He is a ten-time world champion in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He is the author of several books on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) including “Training for Competition", and he co-produced with Master John Will a BJJ curriculum used in over a thousand martial arts schools. He has taught and taught alongside Steven Segal and Chuck Norris, and trains with and has coached many top UFC fighters over the years.