The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is proud to honor Jeffrey Kerr, BA History '84, with the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award in history and art history.
Kerr is chief legal officer and chief operating officer of the PETA Foundation. Over his 30-year tenure, he has built and led the world’s largest legal team working for animal liberation, and he is the longest-tenured legal head of an animal protection organization.
His legal team is the only animal protection group named Best Legal Department by Corporate Counsel magazine and the second nonprofit to receive that honor. His many victories include striking down “ag-gag” laws that threaten to silence whistleblowers and investigators from documenting and exposing cruelty inside factory farms, slaughterhouses, and other facilities where animals are treated as commodities.
His groundbreaking cases—including filing a copyright lawsuit on behalf of a macaque whose “monkey selfies” went viral and a lawsuit to end SeaWorld’s enslavement of orcas under the 13th Amendment—have made headlines around the world and sparked a global conversation about the legal rights of animals.
Congratulations, Jeffrey Kerr!
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences honors distinguished alumni each fall at Community and Catalysts: Achievements, Awards, and Innovations. This signature event is a celebration of alumni, faculty, and students whose leadership, research, and service have made outstanding contributions to their fields, communities, and to the university.