Greg Mortenson - bio as of July 2010

Greg Mortenson is the co-founder of nonprofit Central Asia Institute www.ikat.org, founder of Pennies For Peace www.penniesforpeace.org, and co-author of New York Times bestseller ‘Three Cups of Tea’ www.threecupsoftea.com which has sold over 4 million copies, been
published in 47 countries, and a New York Times bestseller since its 2007 release, and Time Magazine Asia Book of The Year.

Mortenson’s new book, Stones Into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books Not Bombs, In
Afghanistan and Pakistan, was released by Viking on December 1st, 2009.

As of 2010, Mortenson has established over 145 schools in rural and often volatile regions of
Pakistan and Afghanistan, which provide education to over 64,000 children, including 52,000
girls, where few education opportunities existed before.

In 2009, Mortenson received Pakistan’s highest civil award, Sitara-e-Pakistan (“Star of
Pakistan”) for his humanitarian effort to promote girls education in rural areas for fifteen years.

Several bi-partisan U.S. Congressional representatives have nominated Mortenson twice for the
Nobel Peace Prize in both 2009 and 2010.

Mortenson was born in 1957, and grew up on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania (1958 to
1973). His father, Dempsey, founded Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center
(KCMC) www.kcmc.ac.tz a hospital, and mother, Jerene, founded the International School
Moshi.

He served in the U.S. Army in Germany (1977-1979), where he received the Army
Commendation Medal, and later graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1983.

In July 1992, Mortenson’s sister, Christa, died from a massive seizure after a lifelong struggle
with epilepsy on the eve of a trip to visit Dysersville, Iowa, where the baseball movie, ‘Field of
Dreams’, was filmed in a cornfield.

To honor his sister’s memory, in 1993, Mortenson climbed Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second
highest mountain in the Karakoram range.

While recovering from the climb in a village called Korphe, Mortenson met a group of children
sitting in the dirt writing with sticks in the sand, and made a promise to help them build a school.

From that rash promise, grew a humanitarian campaign, in which Mortenson has dedicated his
life to promote education, especially for girls, in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

His work has not been without difficulty. In 1996, he survived an eight day armed kidnapping by
the Taliban in Pakistan’ Northwest Frontier Province tribal areas, escaped a 2003 firefight with
feuding Afghan warlords by hiding for eight hours under putrid animal hides in a truck going to
a leather-tanning factory. He has overcome two fatwehs from enraged Islamic mullahs, endured


CIA investigations, and also received threats from fellow Americans after 9/11, for helping
Muslim children with education.

Mortenson is a living hero to rural communities of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where he has
gained the trust of Islamic leaders, military and militia commanders, government officials and
tribal chiefs from his tireless effort to champion education, especially for girls.

He is one of few foreigners who has worked for sixteen years (over 74 months in the field) in
rural villages where few foreigners go, and considered the ‘front lines’ of the ‘war on terror’

TV newscaster, Tom Brokaw, calls Mortenson, “one ordinary person, with the right combination
of character and determination, who is really changing the world”.

Congresswoman Mary Bono (Rep – Cali.) says, "I've learned more from Greg Mortenson about
the root causes of terrorism than I did during all our briefings on Capitol Hill. He is a true hero,
who exemplifies the true ideals of the American spirit.”

In addition to his advocacy for female literacy and education, Mortenson is an advocate for the
global abolishment of the manufacture and usage of land-mines, and actively campaigns for the
U.S. to join the 158 countries that have already signed an anti-land mine pact.

While not overseas half the year, Mortenson, 52, lives in Montana with his wife, Dr. Tara
Bishop, a clinical psychologist, and two young children.

Book tour, reviews and media on www.threecupsoftea.com

Central Asia Institute website www.ikat.org

Pennies For Peace website www.pennniesforpeace.org

MILITARY

Admiral Mullen has advised senior U.S. military commanders to read Three Cups of Tea. It is
mandatory reading for officers in the Norwegian War College, Forsvarsnett, for U.S. Special
Forces deploying to Afghanistan, all U.S. Marines training at MARSOC Camp Lejeune, officers
in counter-insurgency training, and Canadian Defense Ministry members.

Three Cups of Tea book has been read by General David Petraeus – CENTCOM Commander,
Admiral Mike Mullen - Chairman Joint Chief of Staff, and Admiral Eric Olson – SOCOM
Special Forces commander, (ret) General McKiernan, and several other U.S. military
commanders who advocate for empowering elders and building relationships as a part of an
overall strategic plan.

Mortenson has spoken and has had discussions at SOCOM, MARSOC, NORAD the CSF at the
Naval War College, Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Air Command, NORAD, and been to the
Air Force, Naval and West Point Academies. Annually he voluntarily visits about one to two
dozen military bases, without charge or honorarium to help troops deploying to Afghanistan
understand cultural issues, tribal etiquette and the nuances of tribal warfare.


He has also met several times with most senior military U.S. commanders to help advice and
brief them on Afghanistan and Pakistan with issues related to cultural understanding, tribal
etiquette. These include General David Petraeus (CENTCOM commander), Admiral Eric Olson
(SOCOM –Special Forces) Commander, Admiral Mike Mullen (Chairman, Joint Chiefs of
Staff), General Conway (U.S. Marine Corps Commander), General Stanley McChrystal, ISAF /
U.S. Commander Afghanistan, Major General John Macdonald, Deputy commander –
Afghanistan, Secretary Gate (DOD Secretary) and several other military commanders.

AWARDS

1975 US Army Commendation medal

1998 American Alpine Club David Brower Conservation Award

2002 Peacemaker Award from Montana Community Mediation Center

2003 Climbing Magazine "Golden Piton Award" for humanitarian effort

2003 Vincent Lombardi Champion Award for humanitarian service

2003 Peacemaker of the Year" Benedictine Monks, Santa Fe, NM

2003 Outdoor Person of the Year - Outdoor Magazine

2003 Salzburg Seminar fellow, sponsored by Microsoft

2004 Freedom Forum "Free Spirit Award" - National Press Club, D.C.

2004 Jeanette Rankin Peace Award - Institute for Peace

2005 Men's Journal 'Anti-Terror' Award by Senator John McCain

2005 Red Cross “Humanitarian of The Year” Montana

2006 Golden Fleur-de-lis Award from Comune Firenze, Italy

2007 Medical Education Hall of Fame Award, Toledo, OH

2007 Rotary International Paul Harris Award for Promoting Friendly Relations Among People

2007 Mountain Institute Award for Excellence in Mountain Community Service

2007 Dayton Literary Peace Prize – Book Award, Dayton, OH

2008 Citizen Center for Diplomacy - National Award for Citizen Diplomacy

2008 Courage of Conscience Award – The Peace Abbey, Sherborn, MA

2008 Graven Award - Wartburg College, IA

2008 National Award for Citizen Diplomacy - Citizen Center for Diplomacy

2008 Academy of Achievement Award

2008 Sword of Loyola – St. Louis University

2009 Sitara-e-Pakistan “Star of Pakistan” (Pakistan’ highest civilian award)

2008 Mary Lockwood Founders Medal For Education - Daughters of The American Revolution

2009 Archon Award - Sigma Theta Tau International (Nursing Award)

2009 National Education Association NEA – Human Rights Award

2009 Austin College Leadership Award – Sherman TX – Promoting education issues for peace

2009 City College San Francisco Amicus Collegii Award – Promoting peace through education

2009 Jefferson Award for Community Service: Harvard Kennedy School of Business

2009 US News & World Report: America’s Best Twenty Leaders

2009 Gambrinus Giuseppe Mazzotti Literary Prize (Italy)

2010 Toronto School District (Canada): Peace Award

2010 Honorary Induction – Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society

2010 Loyola Marymount University (CA) – Doshi Bridgebuilder of Peace Award

2010 The Common Wealth Awards: For Public Service

2010 The Salem Award for Human Rights


2010 The Christopher Award: “To affirm the highest values of the human spirit”

2010 The 10th Annual Lantern Award “Excellence in Education Innovation” (MOSTE-LA, CA)

2010 Distinguished Service to Education Award: National Elementary School Principals

Association

2010 Smithsonian Institution: Benjamin Franklin Laureate Award for Public Service

2010 Literature to Life Award – American Theater Place

2010 Viking Award – Norway House for pursuit of bold, dangerous and important undertakings

2010 Freedom Award – Freedom Festival for extraordinary devotion to the cause of liberty at

home and abroad

2010 American Peace Award – representing the spirit of the world peace through thoughts

HONORARY DOCTORATE DEGREES

Concordia College , Moorhead , MN 2007

University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 2007

Montana State University, MT 2008

Villanova University, PA 2008

University of San Francisco, CA 2008

University of Washington – Bothell, WA 2008

Lewis & Clark College, OR 2008

Seattle University, WA 2008

Colby College, ME 2009

Simmons College, MA 2009

St. Louis University, MO 2009

University of Pennsylvania, PA 2010

Brookdale College, Lincroft, NJ 2010

THREE CUPS OF TEA BOOK – AWARDS AND MENTIONS

2006 Time Magazine Asia Book of The Year

2006 People Magazine – Critics Choice

2006 Publisher’s Weekly – Starred Review

2006 Kirkus Review – Starred Review

2006 Borders Bookstore Original Voices Selection

2007 Banff Mountain Festival Book Award Finalist

2007 Kiriyama Prize Nonfiction Award

2007 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association - Nonfiction Award

2008 Montana Honor Book Award

2008 Dayton Literary Prize Nonfiction Award – Runner up

2009 Mom’s Choice Award – Author of the Year

2009 Gambrinus Giuseppe Mazzotti Literary Prize (Italy)

Contact Info:

C/O: Jennifer Sipes

Operations Director


Central Asia Institute

PO Box 7209

Bozeman, MT USA 59771

Phone 406-585-7841

Fax 406-585-5302

Email cai@ikat.org

Web www.ikat.org

Book tour, reviews and media on www.threecupsoftea.com and www.stonesintoschools.com

Central Asia Institute website www.ikat.org

Pennies For Peace website www.pennniesforpeace.org