Jay L. Weiner is the Co-founder of The Gentle Barn Foundation and manages all aspects of the rapidly growing 20-year non-profit that has rescued and rehabilitated thousands of animals across the United States. Jay is a passionate animal welfare advocate, vegan chef, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expert and is on the front line of animal protection and child welfare. Jay specializes in the rescue and rehabilitation of severely injured and abused domestic farm animals, participates in undercover discovery and disruption of the illegal treatment of animals and is a mission-driven business builder, whose deep commitment to animal protection, environmental wellness and proactive CSR, has established The Gentle Barn as a multimillion-dollar, world renowned, national nonprofit organization.
Jay has leveraged his business acumen in the areas of management, fundraising, event planning, and strategic networking to grow the non-profit organization to a multi-national, multimillion-dollar organization. Jay’s cultivation of meaningful relationships paired with his innovative approach to CSR program development has led to partnerships with over 350 companies and brands including some Fortune 500’s.
Jay spearheaded the “Gentle 12” program that he developed to introduce value-aligned companies to The Gentle Barn’s passionate supporters through social media engagement, onsite demonstrations, event support, and dynamic program integration. Gentle 12 has since emerged as a leading CSR program in the natural products industry and beyond. With more than 350 companies, the Gentle 12 program continues to grow into an icon of innovative and cutting-edge CSR and creates meaningful community engagement, measurable results and a lasting impact.
Jay's passion for animal welfare led him to adopt a plant-based diet 18 years ago. As a Vegan Chef, Jay now delivers his message of kindness to animals by teaching the benefits of plant-based cooking and creating vegan recipes for The Gentle Barn's many visitors and followers. Jay has personally supported thousands of people as they’ve transitioned to plant-based eating through education and empowering their skills as vegan cooks. Jay is a proud father of three and husband to the Founder of The Gentle Barn, Ellie Laks, who reside together at The Gentle Barn’s California-based sanctuary.
Jay is a sought-after key note speaker and has spoken to audiences of thousands of people across the country. Topics range from “Going Beyond Corporate Social Responsibility to Maximizing Success,” and other business and motivational topics, to sharing his stories about being on the frontlines of animal investigation, rescue, environmental change, the connection between animals and children, promoting a plant based diet and running one of the largest and most loved animal sanctuaries in the United States.