Outcomes Conference Highlight: Edgar Sandoval Sr.

Meet Edgar Sandoval Sr., CEO of World Vision

Edgar Sandoval has an unstoppable passion. He serves to ensure that every child—especially the most vulnerable—experiences Christ’s promise of life in all its fullness. He will grace the Outcomes Conference main stage on April 29, 2026, as the Alliance celebrates its 50^th Anniversary.

Edgar brings the wisdom from his leadership journey, while standing on the shoulders of past World Vision leaders. These are leaders who lived fully convinced that if Christian nonprofits worked together, kingdom outcomes would multiply.

We celebrate the pioneers who planted those first seeds that have become today’s Christian Leadership Alliance. These World Vision leaders, Dr. Ted Engstrom, Dean Hazelton, and Jim Canning, were all committed to instilling standards and equipping leaders for excellence, faithfulness, and integrity. Their legacy continues to be lived out in the Alliance and through World Vision’s worldwide impact.

Edgar’s Story

Born in Los Angeles, Edgar grew up in Latin America. When he was 18, family hardship prompted him to return to the United States alone. Speaking no English and carrying only his U.S. passport and $50, Edgar worked minimum-wage jobs. He went on to study English as a second language. After high school, Edgar earned bachelor’s degrees in industrial engineering and sociology from Rutgers University. Then he earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

A Successful Track Record

Edgar was recruited by General Electric and later by Procter & Gamble. Over a 20-year career, he made significant contributions to the corporation’s growth and reputation as P&G’s senior vice president and general manager of global feminine care. In that role, he directed the creation and launch of the internationally acclaimed #LikeAGirl campaign. The spot quickly became a viral sensation, airing during the 2015 Super Bowl. Garnering more than 90 million views, his work won multiple awards and dramatically transformed the popular perception of the phrase.

A Significant Change

In 2015, Edgar joined World Vision as chief operating officer. It was his response to a clear calling he and his wife, Leiza, felt to the ministry. After stepping into the role of president and CEO in 2018, Edgar led the launch of Chosen. The campaign was based on a new child sponsorship approach that put the power to choose in a child’s hands. This campaign flipped the script on a 70-year-old industry and has garnered national recognition for innovation and impact.

Under Edgar’s leadership, World Vision has achieved five consecutive years of record-breaking operating revenue. This extraordinary outcome fueled the strategic goal of equipping and empowering more people than ever to step out of poverty into fuller lives. In addition, World Vision has received the highest possible accountability ratings from leading watchdog agencies, including Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau.

Leading Global Impact

As World Vision president, Edgar has traveled to some of the places where it’s toughest to be a child. His travels include the Venezuela-Colombia border, gang-controlled urban areas of Honduras, Rohingya refugee settlements in Bangladesh, hunger crisis hot-spot Turkana in northern Kenya, and the Sudan-Chad border. These are some of the places where he witnessed the impact of the world’s largest displacement crisis.

A highly respected leader in the humanitarian space, Edgar serves on the board of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. He has appeared in national media outlets including Fox News, The Washington Post, Vox, and Religion News Service. He is also a regular contributor of guided Scripture videos to YouVersion, the world’s most popular Bible app.

Faithfully Grounded

Edgar cherishes faith in Jesus and family above all. His wife, Leiza, is a former teacher who was born and raised in Puerto Rico. The Sandovals have four children, including two daughters with special needs. Edgar’s understanding of every child’s potential. This belief was instilled in him while raising his daughters and is an asset to World Vision’s mission to empower the world’s most vulnerable children to take hold of their futures.

Here is Edgar Sandoval’s Personal Invitation to Join Us for the Outcomes Conference 2026!

Discover transformational learning experiences in a community ready to invest its best in you! Register before March 1 for additional savings!