For more than two decades, Heather Mercer has lived and worked in Afghanistan and Iraq, pioneering initiatives that confront systemic challenges at the intersection of community development and geopolitics. Her work spans minority and human rights, gender equality, economic disparity, and education—issues she has addressed with uncommon courage and conviction.

Heather’s commitment to public service was forged early in her career when she and seven humanitarian colleagues were captured and imprisoned for 105 days by the Taliban in pre 9/11 Afghanistan, at the dawn of the global war on terror. Sharing captivity with courageous Afghan women deepened her resolve to champion the world’s most vulnerable women and children. After a dramatic rescue by United States Special Forces, she founded The Hope Afghanistan Foundation to support people and programs advancing freedom and human rights.

During the rise of the Islamic State, Heather launched the U.S.-based Hope4Iraq campaign, mobilizing thousands of Americans to support minorities, refugees, and displaced women and families targeted by terror and genocide. As ISIS Response Program Director, she coordinated the rescue of 21 Yezidi women and children from ISIS traffickers and established Iraq’s first non government residential aftercare program for trafficking survivors, addressing conflict based trauma and radicalization. In 2019, she contributed to the development of a deradicalization program for ISIS affiliated families in the Al Hol Camp in Al Hasakah, Syria.

On the 20th anniversary of 9/11—and of her own captivity—Heather inaugurated Global Hope’s Freedom Center, a 75,000 square foot community development hub she helped design, fund, build, and operationalize. Opened before an audience of 650 senior Kurdish leaders and constituents, the center stands as a beacon of possibility for Iraq’s next generation, demonstrating that progress can emerge even against overwhelming odds.

Heather is a frequent speaker at conferences across the United States and around the world, addressing leadership, women’s health, and nation building. She also contributes to global news outlets on Afghanistan and Iraq, offering grounded insight shaped by decades of frontline experience.