MUSTAFA, HERRO K.

(1973- )

Herro Mustafawas born inIraq, and her family fled toIranwhen she was only one. Two years later they immigrated to theUnited States, where she grew up in Minot, North Dakota. She graduated from Georgetown University in 1995 and then earned an MPA at the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University. She speaks Arabic, English, and Kurdish fluently and is conversant in several other languages. Upon graduation, she directed a nongovernmental organization for Kurdish studies in the United States, traveled to Bosnia to supervise provincial elections, and became the senior editor for the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Mustafa joined the U.S. Foreign Service in June 1999 and served in Greece andLebanon. She then represented AmbassadorPaul BremerinMosul, Iraq, where she also worked closely with then-Lt. General David Petraeus. Subsequently, she served at the U.S. National Security Council as the Iran Desk Officer during the administration ofGeorge W. Bushand then as a special assistant to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. In March 2009, she was appointed senior advisor on the Middle East for Vice President Joseph Biden. She is the subject of a documentary film entitledAmerican Hero, which chronicles her efforts to help the Kurds.