Wess Stafford

Author of Too Small to Ignore: Why Children Are the Next Big Thing, and President of Compassion International since 1993, is an internationally recognized advocate for children in poverty. His daily radio feature, “Speak Up With Compassion” is heard on over 800 radio stations in the United States. Founded in 1952, Compassion International is one of the world’s largest Christian child development agencies, partnering with more than 60 denominations and thousands of local churches to serve more than one million children in 26 countries. Since 1952, Compassion International has touched the lives of more than one million children. Wess was awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Biola University in 2003 and Colorado Christian University in 2005. He is a veteran, having served four years in the U.S. Army as a linguist in military intelligence. Wess currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Religious Broadcasters. An avid outdoorsman and committed family man, Wess lives on a small ranch near Colorado Springs, Colorado with his wife, Donna, of 30 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. They also have a dog who worships the ground Wess walks on and a cat who worships herself!