Kim McCoy

Kim McCoy, 34, is a passionate animal and environmental advocate with an undergraduate degree in business administration and a J.D. specializing in international environmental law.

McCoy graduated from law school with honors, and while there, she served as editor-in-chief of the internationally acclaimed Animal Law Review. She also interned with the International Environmental Law Project, with a special focus on CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora); the Center for Environmental Justice, a Sri Lankan NGO based in Colombo; and the National Center for Animal Law. McCoy is a member of MENSA (the "high IQ society") and founder of the MENSA Animal Law Special Interest Group. She is an official member of the National Disaster Animal Response Team, where she most recently assisted with animal rescue in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

McCoy is a published law review author, public speaker, and scuba diver with a special fondness for diving with large sharks. She is a certified black belt in American karate, yoga instructor, and mountain paraglider. Her experiences traveling and living overseas (particularly in developing countries) — coupled with a strong desire to put an end to animal cruelty and suffering — led her to choose a vegan lifestyle nearly five years ago. Having previously lived in Japan for two years, she has a fondness for Japanese culture (not including the slaughter of innocent cetaceans) and a special interest in the Japanese public's general lack of awareness and acceptance of propaganda surrounding the issue of illegal whaling.

McCoy is deeply committed to the defense and conservation of marine animals worldwide and believes firmly in the merits of aggressive, nonviolent direct action as an effective and necessary means to accomplish these goals.