Our Guiding Principles
1.
We represent the families of the victims we serve. Our mandate comes from the families, period.
2.
We do not accept donations, or any form of payment, from victims or their families, whether or not we represent them.
3.
We do not accept donations from any government or any government-related organization.
4.
Our work is centered around the cases we accept. We minimize all other activities, such as general advocacy and side causes. We leave related functions, such as government accountability or mental health for victims post-release, to other nonprofit organizations that are focused on and experts in those areas. Our bottom line—that is the measure of our success—is cases solved.
5.
We are not self-interested in self-promotion. If we cannot take credit for a case we have solved because credit needs to go to others, such as a government leader, so be it. Our mandate is to bring people home to their families.
6.
We do not employ “nonprofit professionals.” Everyone on staff at Global Reach is devoted to the cause, which has been, and is, a part of the fulfillment of their life’s work.
Our History
There have been kidnappings throughout U.S. history. The first high-profile kidnapping victim in the United States was Charley Ross in 1874. In 1932, the Lindbergh baby was kidnapped, capturing national attention. Over the last 75 years, kidnappings have increased steadily, becoming a standard tactic for criminal enterprises. Mexican cartels, for instance, have created an industry around it. Many terrorist groups have also embraced kidnapping to raise funds through ransoms or to force governments into making political concessions such as sanctions relief and prisoner exchanges. Some nations have even translated kidnappings into an element of statecraft, which the U.S. government refers to as wrongful detentions.
Yet, this historical recounting of the business of kidnapping is a very different thing from a kidnapping crisis at hand. The family that suddenly finds itself with a loved one taken hostage overseas must quickly become an expert on the practicalities and realities of the situation, learning all about the culture and country where their family member is being held, the terminology that applies, and how the U.S. government is configured to address their case. These are not easy tasks for the family thrust out of the everyday life they know, beset by anxiety over the fate of their loved one, and dismayed by the absence of information and the lack of control.
Global Reach was conceptualized by the field’s best experts and experienced practitioners. It was built upon the late Governor Bill Richardson’s trail-blazing work on intervention and mediation on behalf of Americans wrongfully detained abroad and upon his unprecedented track record of bringing them home. The Governor’s work culminated in his and his partner Mickey Bergman’s success with the resolution of the Trevor Reed and Brittney Griner detentions from Russia, as well as many others in the preceding years. But more than anything else, Governor Richardson’s work led the way and showed what was possible, and a small network of experienced, knowledgeable, and trusted individuals had formed, charitably donating their time, and collaborating to lead and fulfill all the necessary aspects of the various hostage cases. Yet, as ambitions and needs grew, and as the cases became more and more complex and operationally demanding, many capacities were still missing, many of the existing capabilities needed to be enhanced, and better coordination was required. Beginning in 2022, discussions between Governor Richardson, Steve Menzies, and Mickey Bergman were underway about creating a bigger organization with a complete set of capabilities—intergovernmental mediation, political analysis, global investigations, global logistics, expanded governmental affairs, and professional-level fundraising.
Governor Richardson’s untimely passing on the 1st of September in 2023 required the team to come together immediately to create Global Reach. The need for the new organization was obvious. The collective team had been collaborating ad hoc providing the critical activity to solve and bring home Americans on over 124 cases in the preceding 10 years. Also at that time, collective work was progressing on at least 16 hostage cases. Literally, lives were at stake. The joining of forces into Global Reach was agreed upon immediately, and three weeks after Governor Richardson’s passing, Mickey Bergman, Steve Menzies, and Cameron Hume visited Caracas to meet with senior Venezuelan officials regarding efforts that Richardson had already started. These efforts contributed to the release, shortly before Christmas of that year, of all 13 Americans held by Venezuela. Also during that time, starting on October 7th of that year with the surprise attack by Hamas across the Israeli border, Global Reach immediately responded to a few dozens of families of hostages' request for help. About 240 hostages were held. Efforts were undertaken by Global Reach’s CEO, Mickey Bergman, to immediately formulate a strategy, rally intermediaries, and work through shuttle diplomacy to facilitate agreements for hostage releases and prisoner exchanges whenever possible. These efforts contributed to the release of over 100 hostages in November. By the end of 2023, Global Reach was working on 16 active cases, not including the cases it was directly involved with in Gaza.
Each member of Global Reach’s leadership is an expert and is focused on cases from different perspectives—from inside government or as a nonprofit, and with different capabilities emphasized from investigations to citizen diplomacy. Beyond their individual depth of knowledge and experience, each member of the leadership team has a successful track record of collaboratively working on cases with others in addition to successfully working on cases individually, all in various countries around the globe.
Our chairman, Steve Menzies, has provided the leadership and vision to conceptualize Global Reach. Previously, he helped design and implement multiple rescues, and led negotiation missions to Venezuela and Russia. Additionally, through his private foundation, he developed the operational and investigative capabilities that are now a part of Global Reach, and which led to the release of over a dozen hostages held by terrorist organizations, as well as the evacuation and liberation of hundreds of Americans trapped in Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul.
Our CEO, Mickey Bergman, has undeniably made the greatest impact on the field after his longtime partner Governor Bill Richardson. Functioning as our Chief Intergovernmental Mediator, Mickey has, for decades, worked with officials from many nations that the U.S. government cannot, and has engaged them to resolve a great number of difficult cases. The persistence of Mickey’s efforts over time brings to Global Reach an invaluable intuitive understanding of the strategy and tactics that can resolve a case.
Our Chief Investigative Officer, Rob Saale, previously served in federal law enforcement, leading U.S. government efforts for kidnappings worldwide including as Director of the U.S. Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell (HRFC) in 2017 and 2018. Rob’s depth and scope of knowledge and experience worldwide are invaluable to Global Reach.
Our Chief Research and Political Relations Officer, Cynthia Loertscher, has interviewed almost every family and returned detainee in recent history. She understands the statistics and the politics better than anyone inside or outside of government.
Our Chief Strategy Officer, Eric Lebson, has had a long successful career in the field, leveraging his time as a national security official to help numerous families understand their situation and chart a strategy for proactive engagement. There are few other people who have the acumen and understanding of the political functioning of the United States government and many foreign governments.
All that Global Reach has become is a reflection of its dedicated staff who devote their time, energy, and passion to the cause. In recognizing Governor Bill Richardson’s founding contribution, annually each May, Global Reach awards the “Gov. Bill Richardson Heart of a Patriot Award” aka the “Billie” to former government officials who selflessly dedicate their time, energy, experience, political capital, and reputation to freeing Americans held hostage or detained abroad. The first award will be given in May of 2024 at the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation gala in Washington, D.C.
“Pull quotes from Bill Richardson. Diam volutpat commodo sed egestas egestas fringilla volutpat blandit phasellus.”
