David Meyer
David Meyer is an 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 is co-founder and CEO of Food System Innovations and Humane America Animal Foundation. He was the interim Executive Director at the Plant Based Foods Association, works closely with the Good Food Institute, and is an advisor to the Plant Based World Conference and Expo, and many other nonprofits and for-profits in the space.
He is considered a leader in the farm animal/food system world, and working with Food Solutions Action, regularly meets with U.S. Senators and Representatives helping them understand the importance of a protein transition.
David has a long list of philanthropic accomplishments. He co-founded and ran Adopt-a-Pet.com 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 hundreds of thousands of adoptable pets from over 19,000 animal welfare organizations. It is estimated that Adopt-a-Pet.com has helped save the lives of millions of pets.
David values inclusiveness and a positive company culture, and Adopt-a-Pet.com was selected by The NonProfit Times as 15th on the list of the top 50 NGOs to work for in 2021. He and his team grew it to a multimillion dollar budget, funded by major companies including Nestle Purina, Chewy, Bayer, Elanco, Petco, Petco Foundation and others, ultimately selling the program to Kinship Partners, a division of Mars. Inc. Adopt-a-Pet.com 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.
He co-led the animal rescue efforts in New Orleans post-Katrina saving over 17,000 stranded and starving animals, conceived of and co-led a consumer information/animal welfare ballot initiative, ran a 501(c)4 political organization called Campaign Humane, helped author and testified in Congress on behalf of federal legislation to protect companion animals and their guardians, and 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, and co-produced 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.
He cofounded an orphanage in Haiti for children with HIV, and has led numerous self-defense and empowerment programs for women and children. He serves on the board of Tuff Love Fitness, a non-profit that provides accessible and affordable self-defense, martial arts, and fitness training for populations that may be underserved by many traditional martial arts programs including women, the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.