'Three Cups' charity expands board in settlement

HELENA, Mont. — The charity co-founded by Greg Mortenson has named seven new board members as part of a settlement over accusations the "Three Cups of Tea" author mismanaged the organization that builds schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Central Asia Institute announced Thursday that the new board members were named during a meeting in San Francisco last week. They include philanthropists, academics, businessmen and an attorney. Mortenson and two others previously had been the sole board members. A Montana attorney general investigation concluded last spring that Mortenson's control went unchallenged by the board and led to the charity spending millions on Mortenson's books, travel and personal items. The settlement called for Mortenson to reimburse the charity $1 million, his removal from a position of financial oversight and an expansion of the board.