Santiago Mellado Email Address

President and Chief Executive Officer

Compassion International is a Christian humanitarian aid child sponsorship organization to the development of children living in poverty.

Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado is President and CEO of Compassion International, a global ministry that is dedicated to holistic child development through sponsorship. Jimmy is passionate about Compassion’s church-based approach to releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name. The son of an engineer, Jimmy spent his childhood in the developing world and saw firsthand the powerful impact thriving local churches can have on their communities, especially in under-resourced environments. Before taking office as CEO of Compassion International in 2013, Jimmy served for nearly 20 years as the president of the Willow Creek Association. He earned his MBA from the Harvard Business School. Jimmy is an accomplished athlete who competed in the decathlon in the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games and still retains the national record for his birth country, El Salvador, in that event. Jimmy and his wife have three adult children and grandchildren. They’ve been passionate Compassion sponsors since 2005.