President
Paul Chitwood was elected president of the IMB in November 2018. He previously served as executive director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention from 2011-2018. For 18 years prior, Chitwood served as the pastor of local churches of varying size in Kentucky. During his pastorates, he served as chairman of the International Mission Board’s trustees from 2008-10, as part of his tenure as an IMB trustee from 2002-10. A native of Jellico, Tennessee, Chitwood is a 1992 graduate of Cumberland College and earned the Master of Divinity and Ph.D. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He earned a master’s degree in nonprofit administration from the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. He served as a faculty member of the seminary from 2002-2018.
He and his wife, Michelle, have four children.
Executive Vice President
Todd Lafferty was elected executive vice president in February 2019. He first served as a journeyman in Scotland from 1983-1985. He and his wife, Susan, were appointed in 1991 as career IMB missionaries to a large South Asian city, where he was pastor of an international church and, later, a strategy coordinator. From 2000-2003, he served as a missionary candidate consultant, based in Richmond, Virginia. The Laffertys returned to the mission field in 2003. His roles included strategy associate in the Pacific Rim region, interim regional leader of Pacific Rim, and the affinity group leader for South Asian peoples. Lafferty also served as pastor of mobilization for Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, from 2016-2019. He is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He earned a Doctor of Missiology from Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary.
Vice President, Global Engagement
John Brady is the vice president for global engagement. He previously served as regional leader for mission work in Northern Africa and the Middle East, where he led Southern Baptist workers to spread the gospel. John grew up in Guyana as the son of Southern Baptist missionaries.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Furman University and a master’s degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Jenny, have been with IMB for over two decades.
Vice President, Global Training
Zane Pratt was elected vice president for global training in 2014. For 20 years, he served as an IMB church planter and regional leader in Central Asia. From 2011–13, Pratt was dean of the Billy Graham School at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he currently serves as associate professor of Christian missions. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, a master’s degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and is a Ph.D. candidate at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the coauthor of “Introduction to Global Missions” and a contributor to “Theology and Practice of Mission.”
Vice President, Mobilization
Jeff Ginn was elected vice president of mobilization in 2023. He previously served as affinity group leader for the Americas. For more than twenty years, Ginn served as pastor of local churches of varying size in Mississippi, Virginia, and Louisiana. He served for three years as executive director of the SBC of Virginia. He also served as a trustee of the IMB for four years. A native of Arkansas, Ginn is a 1983 graduate of Blue Mountain Christian University and earned the Master of Divinity and Ph.D. from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served as a faculty member and adjunct faculty member of various seminaries.
He and his wife, Nell, have three children and six grandchildren.
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Edward J. Herrelko III was elected vice president of marketing and communications in 2022. Herrelko joined the IMB staff in 2021 as chief marketing and communications officer. Prior to coming to the IMB, he served as CMO and executive director of Marketing and Communications at Dallas Theological Seminary. Additionally, Herrelko worked in a digital marketing agency, served as the chief academic officer for two seminaries, and has a corporate background in marketing with Callaway Golf and The Anthony Robbins Company. Herrelko earned a Ph.D. at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, an M.Div. and M.A. from Southern California Seminary, and a B.A. from the University of Michigan. He and his wife, Amy, have one daughter.
Vice President, Human Resources
Brian Trapnell was elected Vice President of Human Resources in January 2024. Prior to joining the IMB, Trapnell led human resources, corporate compliance and risk management in a variety of healthcare settings including long-term care, hospice, home health and most recently practice management. His early career work was in community development, supporting business retention and expansion for domestic and international firms in various industries. Trapnell holds a B.S. in Political Science with a minor in Speech Communication and a Master of Business Administration, both from Georgia Southern University. Active professional certifications include SHRM-SCP, managing workplace conflict and providing end of life care. He has also been certified in healthcare compliance. He and his wife, Kelly, have two sons.
