Committee

With a unique fusion of corporate and non-profit experience, Macy brings robust financial and auditing savvy alongside her passion for animal welfare. Upon graduating from Northwest Missouri State with dual degrees in both public and private accounting, Macy began work at United Missouri Bank Financial Corporation as an auditor, where she was responsible for evaluating financial controls and processes. As a vegan her entire adult life, and with a love for all creatures both two-and-four-legged, Macy decided to apply her proficiencies in the non-profit sector with Kansas City Pet Project, the Midwest’s largest open admission no-kill shelter. There, she built a corporate relationship with Petco and led retail profit increases to over 400%. Macy continues her community engagement with events like Veganism 101 and the Kansas City New Shelter Campaign. She has three beautiful fur babies at home, but has helped place literally thousands more.

Lisa is a seasoned business manager with over 15 years of experience running organizations and businesses. She has worked with blue chip companies such as Procter & Gamble and General Mills and on businesses ranging from $350 MM to $2.5 BN. Lisa has an MBA from the University of Chicago where she was voted “one of the 25 most influential MBA students,” and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Lisa has always been heavily involved in the community – as a volunteer for SPCA and the United Way, and was recipient of one of the two ArtsWave awards given by the Procter & Gamble CEO. She enjoys a plant–based diet and lives in Kansas with her husband, two boys, and many dogs.

Jennifer Laue is Co-Founder and Vice Chair of Stray Dog Capital, Director of Stray Dog Institute, a board member at Companion Protect, a member of the National Council at The Humane Society of the United States and on the boards of The Humane Society Legislative Fund of the Midwest, the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA), All About Autism, and a Director of GlassWall Syndicate. She is also co-founder of three private foundations – The Quinn Foundation Stray Dog Institute, and Ringo’s Fund – that focus on charitable giving and programs for animal, environmental, and human welfare causes.

Chris Kerr has more than two decades of leadership experience in financial and venture capital management. In addition to his work with New Crop Capital (NCC), Chris serves as director at Sunfed Foods, Greener UK, The Purple Carrot, Pitcairn Financial Group, and Anark Corporation, and as managing partner at Abele Kerr Investments. As New Crop Capital’s Investment Manager, Chris manages deal flow, and performs asset and market level analyses. For the last decade, Chris has worked with some of the world’s most innovative food companies.

Bruce Friedrich is founding trustee of New Crop Capital, a $25 million venture capital fund that makes early stage investments in companies that are producing alternatives to conventionally produced meat, dairy, and eggs, as well to tech startups that are focused on promoting alternatives to animal agriculture. He is also executive director of The Good Food Institute (GFI), a nonprofit organization that promotes market-based and technological solutions to the problems of animal product consumption. Bruce graduated manga cum laude from Georgetown Law and Phi Beta Kappa from Grinnell College and also holds degrees from Johns Hopkins and the London School of Economics.

As the head of The HSUS’s Business Development and Corporate Relations department, Sarah Comis works with a broad range of partners in the business and corporate community to communicate The HSUS’s basic messages about animal protection to new and expanding audiences.  Under her leadership, the department works to create and strengthen cause-marketing partnerships, retailer promotions, trademark licensing agreements, event and program sponsorships, workplace giving, corporate-facilitated donations from individuals, and in-kind contributions that support the mission, enhance the brand and meet the revenue goals of The HSUS.

Comis’ entire 30-year professional career has been devoted to protecting animals and the environment. She joined The HSUS in 2000, and assumed leadership of the Business Development & Corporate Relations department in 2008.

Prior to joining The HSUS, Comis served as Vice President of Licensing for the National Audubon Society, and worked in cause-related marketing for The Nature Conservancy.

Comis is a graduate of Colorado State University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Zoology.

Before joining VegInvest, Amy spent nineteen years advocating for animals as a partner in the animal law firm, Egert and Trakinski, where she litigated on behalf of national animal protection organizations, grassroots advocacy groups, and individual clients.  Amy currently serves on the Boards of Compassion Over Killing and the Animal Welfare Trust and is a member of the Humane Society of the United States’ New York State Council. She holds a B.A. in History from SUNY Binghamton and a J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Josh Balk is co-founder of Hampton Creek, one of the fastest-growing food technology companies in the marketplace today. Josh works full time at The Humane Society of the United States where he helps build start-up companies in the food tech arena. He also works with the world’s largest food companies, such as Walmart, Wendy’s, and Starbucks, to create more humane, sustainable purchasing policies. The New York Times, Fortune magazine, Washington Post, and CNN are among the many media outlets to spotlight his work.