Suzanne M. Griffin grew up in Oregon.  She attended college in Indiana where she met her late husband Michael, who had completed a Peace Corps tour in Iran.  In 1968 the newlyweds arrived in Afghanistan to serve as a Peace Corps field team.  While living in San Francisco in the 1970s, Suzanne balanced her roles as mother and wife with professional responsibilities.  She achieved tenure as a university English instructor, co-authored textbooks, and co-produced an ESL video series for the BBC.

In 1978, the couple and their two young daughters relocated to Iran where they anticipated a three year stay. Suzanne was a university English instructor in Isfahan and Michael led the housing department of a US contractor. Six months later, the family was evacuated at the start of the Iranian Revolution.

​Seattle has been home base for Suzanne’s family since 1980. Suzanne held leadership positions at Washington State education agencies and institutions while earning her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Washington. In 2002, she received a sabbatical from Seattle Community Colleges to research ways of improving literacy skills of Afghan women. When she arrived in Kabul, however, she was assigned a larger role in rebuilding the country’s educational system. Suzanne has spent over 11 years there leading projects in health, education and higher education

Suzanne M. Griffin

Suzanne's memoir, Lessons of Love in Afghanistan, is now available!

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