President & CEO of Pure Earth; Environmental Health & Lead Poisoning Prevention Advocate
Drew McCartor Biography
Drew McCartor is an environmental health expert, attorney, and nonprofit leader who has spent more than two decades working to reduce the global health impacts of toxic pollution, particularly lead poisoning. He is President and CEO of Pure Earth, an international nonprofit focused on identifying and eliminating sources of toxic pollution in communities around the world.
McCartor joined Pure Earth more than 15 years ago and has held a range of leadership positions, helping develop global programs, build partnerships, and secure funding for pollution-reduction initiatives across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. His work has included environmental assessments and remediation projects involving lead and other hazardous substances, as well as efforts to translate scientific evidence into practical public-health solutions.
Originally trained as a lawyer, McCartor earned his law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School and is a member of the Oregon State Bar. He has combined his legal background with extensive field experience in environmental health and international development.
In 2026, McCartor brought his work to a global audience as a TED2026 speaker, addressing the enormous but often overlooked threat of childhood lead poisoning. He is leading Pure Earth's ambitious initiative, supported by The Audacious Project, to help protect 500 million children from lead exposure by 2033.
McCartor's career is centered on a straightforward premise: toxic pollution is a solvable problem, and effective solutions require governments, communities, scientists, and nonprofit organizations to work together to identify sources of exposure and eliminate them at scale.
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Drew McCartor Speaking Topics
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The invisible global health crisis
Lead poisoning harms one billion children worldwide and costs the global economy more than $6 trillion every year, yet receives a fraction of the attention given to other health crises of similar scale. This talk, adapted from Drew's TED 2026 mainstage presentation, makes the case for why lead poisoning deserves to be treated as a top-tier global health priority and what it will take to end it. For: general audiences, philanthropic conferences, public health forums.
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Philanthropy and the problems governments can't see
How catalytic philanthropy can solve problems that traditional development funding overlooks. Lead poisoning is a case study in how a small group of focused funders, working with operationally credible NGOs, can move governments to act on issues that don't yet have political constituencies. For: philanthropic conferences, family office gatherings, donor convenings.
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Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Drew McCartor for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Drew McCartor, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Drew McCartor or any other speaker of your choice. -
What are the speaker fees for Drew McCartor
Speaking fees for Drew McCartor, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Drew McCartor are available upon request for live events and available upon request for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Drew McCartor, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent. -
What topics does Drew McCartor speak about?
Drew McCartor is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Conservation, Disruptive Thinking, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Activism, Environmental Policy, Environmental Science, Executive Leadership, Government, Law, Non-Profit, Philanthropy, Public Health, Social Activism, Social Entrepreneurship, TED, Thought Leadership -
Where does Drew McCartor travel from?
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Drew McCartor is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as The invisible global health crisis, Philanthropy and the problems governments can't see, Building a global organization for impact, The economics of toxic pollution and Twenty years working on impact. The estimated speaking fee range to book Drew McCartor for your event is available upon request. Drew McCartor generally travels from and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Jasmine Crowe-Houston, Ashlee Piper, Gary White, Solomon Goldstein-Rose and Amali Tower. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Drew McCartor for an upcoming live or virtual event.
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