Greg Mortenson
Greg Mortenson (born December 27, 1957) is an American humanitarian, professional speaker, writer, and former mountaineer. He is a co-founder and former executive director of the non-profit Central Asia Institute and the founder of the educational charity Pennies for Peace. Since 1993, he has been working in Pakistan, and later in Afghanistan and Tajikistan to promote education, and build schools, especially for girls. The dedication of both Mortenson and CAI's to improving the lives of thousands of girls has been documented by respected philanthropists beginning as early as 2001. Mortenson is the co-author of The New York Times Bestsellers, Three Cups of Tea, which stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for 220 weeks. Three Cups of Tea has been published in over 29 languages. Mortenson is also the author of Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan.