George Mason Grad and Animal Law Pioneer Receives Distinguished Alumni Honor

For Immediate Release:
November 9, 2026

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Jeffrey Kerr arrived at George Mason University in 1980 planning to become a lawyer at a time when animal law barely existed as a field. More than four decades later, after a career spent helping to shape that field, the PETA Foundation chief legal officer and chief operating officer returned to his alma mater on November 7 to receive its 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award.

During more than 30 years at the PETA Foundation, Kerr has built and led the world’s largest legal team working for animal liberation and become the longest-tenured legal head of an animal protection organization. Under his leadership, the team has successfully challenged “ag-gag” laws that seek to silence whistleblowers who expose cruelty to animals, and has helped PETA set more precedents for animals than any other organization, including: the first cruelty-to-animals convictions of factory farm employees for abusing pigs and birds; the first U.S. and international crush video convictions (including a life sentence); the first British case upholding the right to show eyewitness footage of animal abuse; the first Australian case upholding the right to call for a product boycott against animal-abusive practices; the first state supreme court decision recognizing the right to gather and publicize eyewitness animal-abuse video footage; and the largest seizure of animals in U.S. history.

Long before he was arguing cases for animals, Kerr was taking the mound for George Mason. A Weber Scholar, he was a two-year starting pitcher for the Patriots baseball team, received the Scholar-Athlete Award, and graduated with distinction in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in history.

“When I left George Mason, animal law was barely a field, and I’ve spent my career using the law to expand protections and rights for animals,” says Kerr. “Returning to Mason to receive this recognition was especially meaningful, and I hope PETA’s work inspires the next generation of lawyers to keep opening courthouse doors for animals.”

Kerr later graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law, which previously honored his public service work with its Shaping Justice Award for Extraordinary Achievement and named him among its 100 graduates “Changing the World.”

PETA—whose motto reads, “Animals are not ours to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way”—is the largest animal liberation organization in the world, and PETA entities have more than 10.4 million members and supporters globally. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.