Wess Stafford

Dr. Wess Stafford is President Emeritus of Compassion International, one of the world’s largest Christian child development organizations, partnering with more than 60 denominations and 7,500 local churches to serve over 2 million children in 26 countries. He has worked both overseas and in leadership positions at ministry headquarters for four decades and served as President and CEO for 20 years. The author of Too Small to Ignore and Just a Minute, and host of the radio feature Speak Up with Compassion, Wess is an internationally recognized advocate for children in poverty, speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves. While he earned undergraduate degrees from Moody Bible Institute and Biola University, and a master’s degree from Wheaton College, as well as a Ph.D. from Michigan State University, Wess often says, “Everything I really need to know to lead a multinational organization I learned from the poor while growing up in an African village.” Wess feels privileged to now minister to those who have always been so close to his heart. An avid outdoorsman, Wess lives on a small ranch in Colorado with Donna, his wife of 40 years, who was a Compassion sponsor even before she met Wess. They have two daughters, Jenny and Katie—the two children in the world for whom Wess is the greatest advocate of all.