TOA Awards 2026 Announces The 100 Most Influential Turkish Americans

From Nobel Laureates to Global Entrepreneurs

The 2026 list reflects the remarkable breadth of influence and achievement that the Turkish-American community has attained across the United States.

In the Lifetime Achievement category, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Aziz Sancar is among this year’s honorees.

Science, Research & Academia emerged as one of the strongest categories of the year. Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoğlu is joined by Gökhan Hotamışlıgil, Dani Rodrik, Canan Dağdeviren, Aydoğan Özcan, Mehmet Toner, İvet Bahar, Feryal Özel, Ali Erdemir, Asuman Özdağlar, Bilge Yıldız, Murat Günel, Engin Kırda and Selçuk Şirin.

In CEO & Founders, one of the most prominent business categories, the honorees include Fatih Özmen, Hamdi Ulukaya, Eren Özmen, Eren Bali, Osman Kibar, Magdalena Yeşil, Oğuzhan Atay, Murat Özgener and Aydın Şenkut, among other accomplished leaders who have made their mark in the United States and on the global business stage.

In Policy, Government & Public Administration, Dr. Mehmet Öz, Tayfun Selen, Didem Nişancı, and Seval Öz were selected, while Egemen Taş, Aylin Uysal and Hande Çilingir were recognized in Technology & Futures.

In arts and culture, Refik Anadol, Gizem Salçığıl White, Barbaros Tapan and Emre Şahin were selected in the Arts & Culture category, while Fahir Atakoğlu and Pınar Toprak were recognized in Performing Arts.

In sports, NBA star Alperen Şengün, who has emerged as one of Turkey’s most prominent representatives on the international sports stage, was named the honoree in the Sports & Athletic category.

Arda Öcal, Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur were recognized in Media; Deniz Beyazıt in Cultural Heritage; and Dr. Selda Günsel, Tolga Kurtoğlu and Murat Genç in CTO & CIO.

The list also brings together Turkish-American success stories across finance, law, real estate, healthcare, hospitality and tourism, nonprofit leadership, community leadership and young professional achievement.

The Next Generation Takes the TOA Awards Stage

In the Under 30 category, which aims to recognize and encourage the next generation of accomplished Turkish Americans, Ali Sarılgan, Anya Özmen, Emre Uğurlu and Lara Özkan were selected as 2026 honorees.

In Women in Business, Derya Taşkın, Neslihan Hıdırliğil and Kerime Ataker were recognized for their achievements and contributions to the business community.

TOA Founders’ Recognition Awards Presented Beyond the Top 100

In addition to the 100 honorees selected through the jury evaluation process, TOA Awards 2026 will present TOA Founders’ Recognition Awards to individuals whose exceptional achievements, leadership and contributions in specific fields merit special recognition.

This year, Ali Berke Ayazlı and Dinçer Ocak will receive the Excellence in Business Leadership & Entrepreneurship recognition; Ali Rıza Doğan, the Humanitarian Service & Community Compassion Award; Emin Onur Genç, Excellence in Technology Entrepreneurship, Hakan Karalok, International Academic Excellence, Hakan İnan, Excellence in Industrial Leadership; Levent Sertbas,  Excellence in Community Services, Mustafa Tuncer, the Transatlantic Entrepreneurship Award; Orhan Genceli, Hospitality Excellence; Serdar Ali Çelikler, the Excellence in Sports Media & Commentary Award; Serdar İlhan, Excellence in Entertainment & Cultural Promotion; and Ziya Keskin, the Global Standards & Certification Leadership Award.

These special recognitions are separate from the jury-selected list of 100 honorees and are presented by the founders of TOA Awards to acknowledge individuals whose noteworthy contributions and accomplishments deserve additional recognition.

Cemil Özyurt: “This list is a reflection of the diversity and reach of the Turkish-American community”

TOA Awards Founder Cemil Özyurt commented on the selection process, which lasted more than six months:

“We do not see TOA Awards simply as an awards ceremony. Our goal is to create a platform that documents the achievements of Turkish Americans in science, technology, entrepreneurship, arts, public service, academia, sports and many other fields, while preserving and passing these success stories on to future generations. When we look at the 2026 list, we see an exceptionally strong picture—from Nobel laureates and founders of global companies to academics, artists, public officials and young entrepreneurs.”

Özyurt also thanked the members of the jury and Selection Committee for their contributions throughout the process:

“This list was not created through decisions made by a handful of people over a short period of time. Our 23 jury members and 16-member Selection Committee worked with tremendous dedication for more than six months. Evaluating hundreds of candidates was not an easy task. I would like to personally thank every member of our jury and Selection Committee for contributing their perspectives, experience and expertise. Their dedication is invaluable to the credibility and reputation of the TOA Awards.”

Özyurt added:

“I also want to emphasize that there are many exceptionally accomplished individuals who could not be included in the final list of 100. Our purpose is not to suggest that one person is more valuable than another. Our mission is to make the achievements of the Turkish-American community visible from the broadest possible perspective and to celebrate those achievements.”

Awards Ceremony to Be Held at The Venetian on November 17, 2026

The TOA Awards 2026 Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at The Venetian in Garfield, New Jersey. Buy gala tickets here 

Bringing together distinguished figures from science, business, technology, arts, media, academia, public administration, finance, law, healthcare, real estate, tourism and the nonprofit sector, the evening is expected to be one of the most comprehensive gatherings of the Turkish-American community in 2026.

For sponsorship opportunities, corporate participation and table reservations:
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TOA AWARDS 2026 – THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL TURKISH AMERICANS

100 Honorees Across 24 Categories

TOA AWARDS 2026 — THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL TURKISH AMERICANS

Please Note: Honorees are grouped by category. The numbers appearing next to each honoree are used solely for organizational and sequencing purposes and do not represent a ranking or level of importance among the honorees.

ARTS & CULTURE

1. Gizem Salçığıl White — Founder & CEO | Turkish Coffee Lady

2. Refik Anadol — Media Artist; Founder & Director | Refik Anadol Studio / DATALAND

3. Barbaros Tapan — Journalist & Golden Globes Voter | Golden Globes

4. Emre Şahin — Director, Producer & Co-Founder | Karga Seven Pictures

BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

5. Selin Kurnaz, PhD — Co-Founder & CEO | Massive Bio

6. Bülent Başol, PhD — CEO & Co-Founder | Active Layer Parametrics (ALP)

7. Selçuk Atlı — Co-Founder & CEO | Bunch

8. Evren Özkaya, PhD — Founder & CEO | Supply Chain Wizard / SCW.AI

9. İsmail Alptekin — Founder & CEO | Puff City

10. Ramazan Patak — Founder & CEO | Globaltex Fine Linens / Patak Holdings

11. Ayla Annaç — Co-Founder, President & CEO | InvivoSciences

12. Tuğçe Ergül — Founding Partner | Hypernova Capital

CEO & FOUNDERS

13. Fatih Özmen — CEO & Owner | Sierra Nevada Corporation

14. Hamdi Ulukaya — Founder, Chairman & CEO | Chobani

15. Eren Özmen — Executive Chairwoman & Owner | Sierra Nevada Corporation

16. Eren Bali — Co-Founder | Monogram; Founder, Udemy & Carbon Health

17. Osman Kibar, PhD — Founder & Chairman | Biosplice Therapeutics

18. Magdalena Yeşil — Entrepreneur, Investor & Board Director | Broadway Angels

19. Oğuzhan Atay, PhD — Co-Founder & CEO | BillionToOne

20. Murat Özgener — President | Ozgener Family Cigars

21. Aydın Şenkut — Founder & Managing Partner | Felicis

22. Tümay Başaranlar — Co-Founder & CEO | Atlantis Management Group

23. Varol Ablak — President | Vocelli Pizza

24. Emre İmamoğlu — Co-Founder & CEO | Cibo Vita / Nature’s Garden

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

25. Hülya Koç — President & Co-Founder | Empowering the Turkish-American Community (ETAC)

26. Hüseyin Bayram — Former Deputy Mayor of Paterson; Honored in the Congressional Record | first Turkish American to receive the Key to the City of Paterson | Community Leader

27. Vega Sankur, PhD — Founding President | Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM-LA); Former President, ATASC; Cultural Leader

CTO & CIO

28. Dr. Selda Günsel — Technology Executive & Scientist | Shell

29. Tolga Kurtoğlu, PhD — Chief Technology Officer | Lenovo

30. Murat Genç — President & Chief Information and Digital Officer (CIDO) | McLane Company, Inc.

CULTURAL HERITAGE

31. Deniz Beyazıt — Curator, Department of Islamic Art | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

32. Aziz Sancar, MD, PhD — Sarah Graham Kenan Professor of Biochemistry & Biophysics | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Nobel Laureate

FINANCE & BANKING

33. Erkan Erturk — Erkan Erturk - Managing Director | S&P Global Ratings

34. Gökçen Aygenç — Senior Finance Executive | CDK Global

HOSPITALITY EXCELLENCE

35. Zach Erdem — Founder & CEO | 75 Main Group

36. Burak Karaçam — Owner | Pera Mediterranean Brasserie & Pera Soho

37. Hakkı Akdeniz — Founder & CEO | Champion Pizza / Hakki’s Pizza

HOSPITALITY & TOURISM

38. Gül Göknar Türkmenoğlu — Regional Vice President of Operations – East | Sonesta International Hotels

39. Suzan Toprak — Area Director, People & Culture | IHG Hotels & Resorts

40. A. Cem Erenler — Hospitality Executive & Entrepreneur | The Aboca Club

41. Cihan Yılmaz — Regional Director of Operations | The ONE Group Hospitality / STK Steakhouse

LAW ENFORCEMENT

42. Yakup Zoklu — Chief of Police | Cliffside Park Police Department

43. Yeşim Karaman — Director of Government Affairs | National Sheriffs' Association 

LEGAL ADVISORY & CORPORATE LAW

44. Fejir Uğurlu, Esq. — Attorney | Meirowitz & Wasserberg, LLP

45. Barbaros Karaahmet, Esq. — Chief Operating Partner | Karaahmet Law

46. Aydın S. Çağinalp, Esq. — Attorney | Çağinalp Law

47. Ömer Er, Esq. — Counsel | Michelman Robinson

MEDIA

48. Arda Öcal — Sports Broadcaster & Media Personality | ESPN

49. Cenk Uygur — Founder & Host | The Young Turks (TYT)

50. Hasan Piker — Political Commentator & Content Creator | HasanAbi

POLICY, GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

51. Dr. Mehmet Öz — Administrator | Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

52. Tayfun Selen, CPA — Morris County Commissioner; Former Mayor of Chatham Township | Morris County, New Jersey

53. Seval Öz — Technology & Policy Executive | U.S. Department of Transportation

PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE

54. Pınar Kip Williamson — Executive Vice President | State Street

55. Selim Batıbay — Head of Commodities Sales, Americas | Macquarie Group

56. Göksu Yolaç — Head of Diversified Industries & Real Estate Equity Capital Markets | J.P. Morgan

57. Didem Nişancı — Senior Fellow | Global Climate Policy Project, Harvard University & MIT

58. Ülkü Rowe — Chief Information Officer, Commercial | Lloyds Banking Group

59. Hande Aksoy — Managing Director, Global Client Partnerships | Meta

60. Solita Marcelli — Global Head of Investment Management | UBS Global Wealth Management

61. Turgut Kışınbay — Chief U.S. Economist | Invesco

62. Serhan Seçmen — Global Head of CLO Business | Napier Park Global Capital

63. Haldun Dinççetin — Senior Partner | FINN Partners

64. Gizem Öztürk — Global Director | TBWA Worldwide

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT & DEVELOPMENT

65. Ersal Özdemir — Founder & CEO | Keystone Group; Owner & Chairman, Indy Eleven

66. Izak Senbahar — President | Alexico Group

67. Yusuf Ceylan — President | BeKitto

68. Erol Devli — Founder | Devli Real Estate

69. Fehmi Karahan — Founder & Real Estate Developer | Karahan Companies

SCIENCE, RESEARCH & ACADEMIA

70. Daron Acemoğlu, PhD — Institute Professor of Economics | MIT; Nobel Laureate

71. Gökhan Hotamışlıgil, MD, PhD — James S. Simmons Professor of Genetics & Metabolism; Director, Sabri Ülker Center | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

72. Dani Rodrik, PhD — Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy | Harvard Kennedy School

73. Canan Dağdeviren, PhD — Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences; Director, Conformable Decoders | MIT Media Lab

74. Aydoğan Özcan, PhD — Chancellor’s Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Bioengineering | UCLA

75. Mehmet Toner, PhD — Helen Andrus Benedict Professor of Surgery | Harvard Medical School / Massachusetts General Hospital

76. İvet Bahar, PhD — Professor of Computational & Systems Biology | Columbia University

77. Feryal Özel, PhD — Professor & Chair, School of Physics | Georgia Institute of Technology

78. Ali Erdemir, PhD — Professor & Materials Scientist | Texas A&M University

79. Asuman Özdağlar, PhD — MathWorks Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science | MIT

80. Bilge Yıldız, PhD — Breene M. Kerr Professor | MIT

81. Murat Günel, MD — Nixdorff-German Professor of Neurosurgery, Genetics & Neuroscience | Yale School of Medicine

82. Engin Kırda, PhD — Professor of Computer Sciences | Northeastern University

83. Selçuk Şirin, PhD — Professor of Applied Psychology | NYU Steinhardt

SPORTS & ATHLETIC

84. Alperen Şengün — Professional Basketball Player / Center | Houston Rockets, NBA

TECHNOLOGY & FUTURES

85. Aylin Uysal — VP of Design | Oracle

86. Egemen Taş — Founder & CEO | Netzilo

87. Hande Çilingir — Co-Founder & CEO | Insider One

WOMEN IN BUSINESS

88. Derya Taşkın — Founder & Business Owner | Taskin Bakery

89. Neslihan Hıdırliğil — President | N&F Global Corp

90. Kerime Ataker — Fashion Designer | Paul Ataker.

HEALTHCARE & MEDICINE

91. Kemal Erkan — President & CEO | United Medical LLC

92. Arda Ural, PhD, MBA — Chief Operating Officer | Health Management Associates (HMA)

NONPROFIT & PHILANTHROPY LEADERSHIP

93. Mehmet L. Kırdar — Chairman Emeritus | Turkish Philanthropy Funds

94. Halil İbrahim Demir — Founder | Zakat Foundation of America

PERFORMING ARTS

95. Fahir Atakoğlu — Composer, Pianist & Recording Artist | Independent

96. Pınar Toprak — Composer, Conductor & Producer | Film, Television & Concert Music

UNDER 30

97. Ali Sarılgan — Co-Founder & CEO | TrueMeter

98. Anya Özmen — Anya Ozmen Founder, Redvest 

99. Lara Özkan — Harvard Ph.D. Researcher & Marshall Scholar | Harvard University

100. Emre Uğurlu — Head of Security GRC | Plaid

TOA FOUNDERS’ RECOGNITION AWARDS

In addition to the 100 honorees selected through the jury evaluation process, TOA Awards 2026 will present TOA Founders’ Recognition Awards to individuals who have distinguished themselves through exceptional achievement, leadership and contributions to their respective fields.

Ali Berke Ayazlı — Excellence in Business Leadership & Entrepreneurship

Ali Rıza Doğan — Humanitarian Service & Community Compassion Award

Can Kamiloglu - 40 Years of Excellence in Journalism Award

Deniz Celik - Excellence in Digital Media & Community Engagement

Dinçer Ocak — Excellence in Business Leadership & Entrepreneurship

Emin Onur Genc -  Excellence in Technology Entrepreneurship

Fatih Derbazlar - Excellence in Education Award

Hakan İnan — Excellence in Industrial Leadership

Hakan Karalok - International Academic Excellence

İbrahim Yazici - Excellence in Turkish Folklore & Cultural Heritage

Levent Sertbas - Excellence in  Community Service

İpek İrem Ülkü - Excellence in Sports Coaching & Athlete Development 

Küçük Güngör Bağ - Excellence in Hospitality

Mehmet Dinc - Excellence in AI & Legal Innovation

Mustafa Tuncer — Transatlantic Entrepreneurship Award

Orhan Genceli — Hospitality Excellence

Ufuk Ince  - Distinguished Business Leadership Award

Serdar Ali Çelikler — Excellence in Sports Media & Commentary Award

Serdar İlhan — Excellence in Entertainment & Cultural Promotion

Yavuz Macit - Global Sports Infrastructure & Business Leadership 

Ziya Keskin — Global Standards & Certification Leadership Award

TOA Awards 2026 Ceremony

Tuesday, November 17, 2026 – The Venetian, New Jersey

For sponsorship opportunities, corporate participation and table reservations: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | 201-250-4376

BUY TICKET HERE