Wayne Edward Whitfield is an American politician who served as the U.S. Representative of Kentucky's 1st congressional district from January 1995, until his resignation in September 2016. As co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on U.S.-Turkey Relations and Turkish Americans, he was an ardent supporter of the U.S.-Turkey relationship and a voice on Capitol Hill for Turkish Americans. As the Republican co-chair, Whitfield founded the Turkey Caucus in 2001 along with his Democratic counterpart, former Congressman Robert Wexler of Florida. Their original objective was to have 25 members in the Caucus. The growth of the Caucus, however, exceeded expectations. At the time of Whitfield’s retirement from Congress, Caucus membership was 155, with 43 of the 50 states and all six territories represented. Congressman Whitfield talked to TURKOFAMERICA.

Demetra George (Mustafoğlu), Honorary PhD: one of the most celebrated musical ambassadors of the United States. Soprano Demetra George has graced opera stages and concert halls, including Carnegie Hall as well as U.S. Embassies across Europe.  A two-time Grammy List nominee for her cd “Demetra George Sings Love Arias” she has sung for four U.S. Presidents, and performed with over 700 symphony orchestras and boasts a repertoire of more than 20 opera and operetta roles and 18 in musical theater.

Charles Brian Rose is an American archaeologist, classical scholar, and author. He is the James B. Pritchard Professor of Archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania in the Classical Studies Department and the Graduate Group in the Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World. After graduating from Haverford in 1978, Rose pursued his Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology at Columbia University. Concentrating on the Roman Imperial period, his interests expanded to include the eastern Mediterranean, where he took part in New York University’s excavation at Aphrodisias, Turkey, and the uncovering there of a large and extremely well-preserved early 1st century AD sanctuary dedicated to the Imperial Cult (the cult of the emperors). His thesis, completed in 1987 and published in 1997 by Cambridge University Press, examined the sculpture, coins, and inscriptions associated with the Imperial Cult throughout the Mediterranean world during the period demarked by the life of Julius Caesar (100–44 BC) through to the suicide of Nero in AD 68.

Serving as the San Francisco Bay Area’s Honorary Consul General for the Republic of Turkey for 35 years, Bonnie Joy Kaslan was a loyal advocate and frequent visitor to Turkey. She considers Turkey her second home and she is proud to have served for over 35 years as an advocate, educator and facilitator between the peoples of Turkey and the United States. Although officially retired she continues to give presentations regarding Turkey and the subjects she holds dear.