President, In Defense of Animals; Vice President, Farm Animal Reform MovementIn addition to his work with FARM, veterinarian Elliot Katz is the founding president of the animal-rights group “In Defense of Animals.”

Katz has been on the forefront of the move to replace the terms “pet” and “owner” with “animal companion” and “animal guardian.” He calls this language change part of a social “revolution,” and compares his cause to the women’s suffrage movement and 19th century emancipation.

Still, Katz recognizes that food animals are still classified as “mere property”; he and his organization aim to take meat off of our dinner plates by endowing animals with “human” rights. As he told one reporter, “Once a significant segment of society rejects the belief that animals are property to be owned, bought or sold, the status of animals will be elevated.”