Matthew Michael Ball (born 1968)[1] is an Americananimal activist. He is co-founder and President of One Step for Animals.[2]
Previously, he was Director of Engagement and Outreach atFarm Sanctuary,[3] and before that, Senior Advisor for VegFund.[4] In 1993, Ball co-foundedVegan Outreach.[5] Ball served as the group's Executive Director for 21 years. Ball is credited with helping shift the animal rights' movement to a moreutilitarian focus,[6] particularly with a focus on chickens.[7] He is the co-author ofThe Animal Activist's Handbook (2009),[8] author ofThe Accidental Activist (2014),[9] and author ofLosing My Religions (2022).[10] He was inducted into theAnimal Rights Hall of Fame in 2005.[11]
Ball was born inToledo, Ohio.[1] His parents are Cornelius Francis Ball and Judith Anderson Ball, both of Toledo.[12] Before foundingVegan Outreach, Matt Ball obtained an M.S. in Forest Ecology at the University of Illinois, and an M.S. in Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, during which time he was a Department of Energy Global Change Fellow.[13] He also held a research fellowship in the Department of Biology at the University of Pittsburgh.[5]
Ball married Dr. Anne Green, a fellow advocate and co-founder of Vegan Outreach, on February 20, 1993 inUrbana, Illinois.[14][15] Their child Elwen Katya Green was born on July 16, 1994, in Pennsylvania and was raised as a vegan.[16][17] They live inTucson, Arizona.[citation needed]
Ball says: "[W]e must focus on getting people to consider their first step toward compassion, rather than arguing for our current philosophy or diet. Most non-vegetarians tune out when told to go vegan but may consider starting to make changes like adoptingMeatless Mondays or eating fewer chickens."[18]
Ball, Matt (2022-10-01).Losing My Religions: A half-failed life of airplanes, agony, animals, basketball, bliss, cameras, chaos, cops... One Step for Animals..
^ab"Ball Family - Matthew Michael Ball".Family Record.Archived from the original on 2014-03-06. Retrieved2014-03-06.Martin Ball › Virgil George Ball › Cornelius Francis Ball › Matthew Michael Ball
^"Official Announcement".A Meaningful Life, A Better World. 2014-09-25. Retrieved2015-01-21.We are very excited to announce that Matt Ball is joining the VegFund team!
^French, Frank (2002-04-08)."On Being Vegan" (Enewsletter).Vegan Outreach.Archived from the original on 2014-01-10. Retrieved2014-02-19.Anne and Matt were married in February, 1993, and when Anne became pregnant in the fall of that year, they agreed their child would be raised as a vegan.
^"Vegan Children".VeganHealth.org. April 2013.Archived from the original on 2013-04-16. Retrieved2014-02-19.[Since Ellen's] birth, along with her parents Matt Ball and Anne Green, she has lived as a vegan.
