John W. Kiser

John Kiser is an author, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He serves on the board of the William and Mary Greve Foundation from which position he has been spearheading, for the past twenty-five years, projects to address America's dangerous ignorance of the Muslim faith. It is an ignorance, he has learned, that also infects Muslim communities.

His engagement with the Muslim world began in 1994, after winding down Kiser Research, Inc. in Washington DC. Countering the conventional wisdom about Russian secretiveness, his business had won national attention by documenting and implementing opportunities for acquiring advanced technologies and intellectual property rights from Russia. His innovative thinking was recognized by both congressional intelligence committees and the Russian Academy of Science in 1993.

When Peristroika, and its companion, chaos, took hold, John took his family to France for a sabbatical. His goal was to improve his French, read the Bible and expose his children to other cultures. Ten years later, two books emerged: The Monks of Tibhirine: Faith, Love and Terror in Algeria and Commander of the Faithful: A Story of True Jihad. In 2012, John's book about French Benedictine monks was the basis for the Cannes Festival's award-winning film Of Gods and Men.

In 2008, the launch of Commander of the Faithful in Elkader, Iowa, led to the Abdelkader Education Project. AEP is now developing strategies for the globalization of Abdelkader as Teacher for The World. Today, audiences for the Emir’s lived values and universalist thinking include educators, civic leaders, diplomats, religious communities and the military.