Greg Mortenson
Greg Mortenson was born in Minnesota. He grew up on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania where his father co-founded the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center, a teaching hospital.
He served in the U.S. Army in Germany from 1977-79, where he received the Army Commendation Medal. He graduated from the University of South Dakota and pursued graduate studies in neurophysiology.
Mortenson has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by six members of the U.S. Congress.
In March, he will receive Pakistan’s highest civil award, Sitara-e-Pakistan (“Star of Pakistan”) for his courage and humanitarian effort to promote education and literacy in rural areas. The award will be presented by Pakistan’s president in a ceremony in Islamabad.
Mortenson is the co-founder of nonprofit Central Asia Institute and Pennies For Peace. He lives in Bozeman, Mont., with his wife and two children.
