Adam Roberts

Adam Roberts, Executive Director

Adam spent 26 years working in animal protection and wildlife conservation in Washington, DC for two organizations: the Animal Welfare Institute (1991-2005) and Born Free USA/Born Free Foundation (2005-2017).

From March 2017 to December 2018 he was an independent consultant focusing on launching nonprofit organizations and developing growth plans for them. Most recently he has worked for PAMS Foundation Tanzania, a wildlife charity, and launched the Hepatitis Eradication Rotarian Action Group of Rotary International, with a mission of expanding hepatitis testing and treatment in developing countries.

Adam currently serves as the executive director of Bethesda Green, which is focused on building a sustainable economy locally with a focus on innovation, impact, and community.

He also serves on several non-profit boards including: the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries(of which he is a co-founder), Mindy’s Memory Primate Sanctuary, and The $10 Club.

Throughout his successful career he was responsible for campaigning on issues of wildlife captivity, trapping and fur trade, and international wildlife trade before starting his role as CEO, where he oversaw all programs and projects (marketing, fundraising, public relations, field programs and advocacy, legislative and government affairs, and operations). He ran multiple global offices successfully (including operations in the US, UK, Ethiopia, and Kenya), negotiated two mergers (one in the US and one in the UK), and significantly grew revenue, global programs and operations.

Adam is a skilled campaigner who has successfully launched and navigated campaigns to pass legislation and other policy changes at the local, state, national, and international level, and has written and lobbied for bills that were passed by the US Congress and signed into law, as well as regulations to conserve imperiled species at United Nations wildlife trade convention meetings.

He has extensive public speaking experience and can advocate persuasively in writing, on radio, and on television; for samples of his media work, view a televised debate on trophy hunting withIntelligence Squared; read blogs from his tenure at Born Free on Huffington Post;watch an example of a short-form tv interview on CGTN;and listen to some “blog talk”  online radio interviews.

Adam has traveled to more than 30 countries including Chile, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Australia, France, Vietnam, and Thailand.  He lives in Washington, DC with his wife, Stephanie Shain, the chief operating officer of the Humane Rescue Alliance, his 14-year-old daughter Mia, one dog and four cats.