Meet Our Founder, Heidi Kuhn
Heidi Kühn, a woman of steadfast vision, has spent her life cultivating peace where once there was conflict, sowing seeds of hope in the most unlikely of places. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley in 1979 with a degree in Political Economics, she emerged from the tumultuous era of the Peace Movement determined to carry its message forward with a quiet but unshakable resolve. Heidi first found her voice in journalism, founding NewsLink International, her own news agency, reporting on glasnost and perestroika from the Soviet Union. From the frozen frontiers of Alaska to the thawing Cold War tensions, her stories for CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Nippon TV, and Sky News became bridges across oceans, fostering understanding where walls had long stood.
In 1997, having overcome her own battle with cancer, she launched a battle of a different kind: one against the silent killers buried beneath the earth—landmines. Founding the humanitarian organization Roots of Peace, Heidi gave life to the "Mines to Vines" initiative, turning once deadly landscapes into thriving vineyards and orchards. Emboldened by her fight with cancer, she saw landmines as an insidious "cancer of the earth," and set out to transform fields of destruction into fields of life. Her work has not just removed landmines; it has restored food security and livelihoods to over a million farmers and families, with over seven million fruit trees planted in former war-torn regions across ten countries.
Heidi’s mission has drawn support from governments, international organizations, and private enterprises alike. From the vineyards of Croatia to the orchards of Afghanistan, her vision has spread across the globe. Her life's work has been recognized with numerous honors—among them the University of California at Berkeley's Alumni of the Year Award in 2002, the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2006, and the Jefferson Award for Public Service in 2007. She has also been honored as a recipient of the ‘Rotary Service Above Self’ Award and is a proud member of the Rotary Club of San Francisco #2.
In 2019, she became the first American woman to receive the Mahatma Gandhi Global Family Seva Medal, and in 2023, her efforts were crowned with the prestigious World Food Prize Laureate, a Nobel-like honor in the field of agriculture. A month later, she was awarded the Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice. Heidi is also the recipient of the International Women’s Forum ‘Making a Difference Award’ and ‘Women Changing the World’ Award, recognizing her trailblazing leadership in transforming war-torn lands into agricultural havens.
To date, Roots of Peace has impacted over 1 million farmers and families, spanning eight countries – Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, Iraq, Israel, Palestine and Vietnam. Heidi’s work has led the successful USAID program to increase the agricultural exports in Afghanistan from $250 million in 2014 to over $1.5 billion in 2024. Roots of Peace has facilitated the removal of over 100,000 landmines and unexploded bombs, restoring the land for agricultural bounty.
Born into a pioneer family that settled on 2,500 acres in San Rafael, California, in the 1860s, Heidi's deep respect for the land is part of her heritage. It is a legacy she passes on to future generations, including her four children and seven grandchildren, who have grown up witnessing her unwavering commitment to bridging divides and cultivating peace. A proud Daughter of the American Revolution, Heidi stands as a living testament to the power of individual effort to transform the world.
Her book Breaking Ground was published in April 2020. It is both a memoir and a call to action, a gripping account of Heidi’s quest to eradicate landmines from the face of the earth and firmly plant the roots of peace.
Today, Heidi lives in San Rafael with her husband, Gary, continuing her work as Chairperson for the Smithsonian’s 250th Birthday of America (2026). As always, she remains committed to bringing people together, celebrating the roots we all share, and planting the seeds of a more peaceful future.
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Invite Heidi Kühn to Speak
Our CEO, Heidi Kühn, has a gift for moving, inspirational, grounded speaking. She has called audiences around the world to join her in taking steps forward for peace, from the floor of the General Assembly, to the Knesset, dozens of clubs around the world. Invite her to speak at your event:
Roots of Peace Tree of Life, by Heidi Kuhn
A tree was planted on a former minefield;
The trunk grew strong, as there was hope for a yield.
Branches became heavy with bouquets of fruit ;
And, thousands of farmers began to follow suit.
Millions of trees are now planted on former war-torn land;
Children are educated, as their family livelihoods expand.
Farmers now sit beneath the shade of the tree;
Roots of Peace planted a future for all to taste and see.