Israel Leito re-elected as IAD president

July 6, 2015 | San Antonio, Texas, United States | Libna Stevens/IAD

Pastor Israel Leito, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America was re-elected Monday, July 6, to serve another five years as president of the vast growing membership.

Newly re-elected IAD President Pastor Israel Leito. Image by Daniel Gallardo/IAD

Pastor Leito was confirmed by the GC Session delegation after his name was submitted by the Nominating Committee of the world church.

Pastor Leito, who has been president of the Inter-American Division since 1994 has led the church from 1 million to 3.7 million members. He holds the record for the longest serving Division president for more than 21 consecutive years according to the church’s Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research.

His 45 years of denominational include more than 38 years in Inter-America, in the Netherlands, Central America and IAD headquarters.

A native of Curacao, Pastor Leito began his church career in 1969 as district pastor in the Netherlands Antilles Mission. He then served as youth ministries director at the Inter-American Division headquarters in Miami. From 1986 to 1993 Pastor Leito served as Church Ministries director at the General Conference.

Pastor Leito is an ordained minister with a Ph.D in organizational communication for Industrial Psychology from Howard University, a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Villa Nueva University, an Honorary Doctorate in Law from the Antillean Adventist University, as well as an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from the Northern Adventist University.

Pastor Leito is married to Ludmila Mercedez Monte Leito. The couple has one son and one daughter and three grandchildren.