Who is Tim Ballard, the CEO of Operation Underground Railroad?

Tim Ballard is an American author, speaker, and former special agent. He is the founder and former CEO of Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.).

Ballard was raised in California. He served a two-year mission in Chile as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

He attended Brigham Young University and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and political science. He then earned a Master of Arts in international politics from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, where he graduated with honours.

Tim Ballard established the non-profit organisation Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) in 2013 and credited his organisation with saving thousands of victims of human trafficking.

Vice Magazine, however, has contested these estimates, and O.U.R has been chastised for a lack of transparency for inflating stories.

Since leaving OUR, Tim Ballard has focused on his work as an author, speaker, and advocate against human trafficking. He continues to raise awareness about the issue and has written several books related to his experiences in combating trafficking.