Santiago Mellado

Mellado became the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Compassion International in 2013 when he replaced retiring CEO Wess Stafford.

Mellado is a 1991 graduate of Harvard Business School. While a student at Harvard, he wrote a case study on the Willow Creek Community Church which has become a part of the curriculum at Harvard Business School.

Mellado competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, representing his birth nation, El Salvador, in the decathlon. He placed 26th of 42 athletes who qualified, and set national records for the highest-ever performance in the decathlon, men's high jump, 400m, 110m high hurdles, pole vault, and javelin. The decathlon record still stands as of March 2020.

Mellado competed in the 1987 Pan American Games and placed fourth in the decathlon.

He and his wife, Leanne, were married in 1986. They have three children, two sons-in-law, and three grandchildren.

Santiago Heriberto Mellado (born April 6, 1963), sometimes known as Jim, Jimmy, or James Mellado, is the President and CEO of Compassion International, a holistic child development organization dedicated to the long-term development of children living in poverty around the world, which is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Mellado previously served as President of the Willow Creek Association (WCA) in South Barrington, Illinois, from 1993 to 2013. He also competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics and 1987 Pan American Games as a decathlete. He serves as a trustee for Fuller Theological Seminary and on the board of directors of the Al Oerter Foundation which runs the Art of the Olympians program.