Biography

David Meyer is President and Co-Founder of Food System Innovations (FSI) and Humane America Animal Foundation, where he works to accelerate solutions that improve food systems, environmental sustainability, and human and animal welfare.. His work sits at the intersection of nonprofit innovation, philanthropic capital deployment, and cross-sector collaboration. At FSI, he helps guide strategic initiatives and partnerships designed to advance sustainable proteins and other high-impact interventions that benefit people and the planet.

David has spent decades building and advising organizations that bridge the nonprofit and private sectors to create scalable social impact. He previously served as Interim Executive Director of the Plant Based Foods Association and is an advisor to numerous nonprofits, startups, and mission-driven companies working to transform the food system.

Over the course of his career, David has raised and deployed more than $150 million in philanthropic capital to advance mission causes. He co-founded Adopt-a-Pet.com, the world’s largest nonprofit pet adoption website, and led the organization for more than two decades. Under his leadership, the platform grew into a multimillion-dollar nonprofit supported by partners such as Nestlé Purina, Chewy, Bayer, Elanco, and Petco. Today, the platform reaches millions of visitors each month —helping save the lives of millions of pets and enriching the lives of families across the country. The organization was recognized by The NonProfit Times as one of the Top 50 Best Nonprofits to Work For in 2021.

David has also played a leadership role in numerous advocacy and rescue efforts. He co-led the rescue of more than 17,000 stranded animals following Hurricane Katrina, and has testified before Congress in support of federal legislation protecting companion animals and their guardians. He is the co-author of The Total Dog Manual and The Total Cat Manual.

Outside of his work in food systems and philanthropy, David has had an extraordinary career in martial arts. One of the first Americans to earn a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu—known as part of the original “Dirty Dozen”—he was also the first American to win a medal at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships at the black belt level is an eleven-time world champion, and is one of the only Americans to hold the rank of Coral belt.  He has authored several books on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, co-produced a widely used training curriculum adopted by more than a thousand martial arts schools, and has coached or trained alongside many top UFC fighters. He also hosts the popular podcast the Ageless Warrior Lab.

His lifelong commitment to defending those with less power extends beyond the mat: he co-founded an orphanage in Haiti for children living with HIV and has led numerous self-defense and empowerment programs for women and children. He also serves on the board of Tuff Love Fitness, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to martial arts and self-defense training for underserved communities.