Greg Mortenson

Founder and Executive Director, Central Asia Institute
Founder, Pennies For Peace
Co-author, Three Cups of Tea

Greg Mortenson grew up on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania from 1958 to 1973. His father, Irvin, established a hospital, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center, and his mother Jerene, founded the Moshi International School.

Mortenson served as a medic in the U.S. Army in Germany during the Cold War, where he received the Army Commendation Medal, and later graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1983.

His lifelong interest in mountaineering culminated in a 1993 climb of Pakistan’s treacherous K2, the world’s second highest mountain, which changed his life. Since then, Mortenson has dedicated his life as a humanitarian devoted to promote education, especially for girls, in remote, often volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

By 2007, he has established over 58 schools through his nonprofit, Central Asia Institute, which provides education to over 24,000 children (about 14,000 girls), in areas where children previously had few education opportunities.

Mortenson is a living hero to rural communities of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he has gained the trust of Islamic leaders, elders, commanders and tribal chiefs for his tireless effort to champion education, especially for girls. He is one of few foreigners who has worked extensively (over 60 months) in the region considered the front lines of the war on terror.

In 1996, he survived an eight day armed kidnapping in the tribal areas of Pakistan, and escaped a 2003 firefight by feuding Afghan warlords, by hiding in a truck under putrid animal hides going to a leather-tanning factory. He has also received two fatwehs from Islamic clerics for his efforts to educate females, which was rescinded by the Shariat Islamic court, and received hate mail and death threats from his fellow Americans after 9/11 for his efforts to help Muslim children with education.

His cross-cultural expertise has brought him to speak on Capital Hill, D.C. think tanks, the Pentagon, Dept. of Defense, outdoor groups, universities, schools, churches, mosques, synagogues, business and civic groups, women's organizations all across America.

Mortenson’s biography and New York Times best-seller, “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission To Promote Peace…One School At A Time”, Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin, Penguin 2007, was selected by TIMES Magazine as a 2006 Asia book of the Year and chosen as a 2006 Pacific Northwest Bookseller’s Association ‘Book of The Year’

While not overseas half the year, Mortenson, 49, lives in Montana with his wife, Dr. Tara Bishop, and two young children.

Source: http://threecupsoftea.com/

Why Greg Mortenson Inspires Me:
I am amazed at Mr. Mortenson's ability to make changes where many thought change was impossible. He continues to stick his neck out and take personal risk to educate, inform, and accomplish incredible things, and he does it by connecting with the humanity in other people. As a result of learning about Mr. Mortenson and his work through his book and websites, I have come to realize the value of education, and that educating ourselves and helping (educating) our "enemies" might be one of the greatest forms of self-defense imaginable!