The American Turkish Society Announces its Sixth Class of "Young Society Leaders"

The "Young Society Leaders" program's goal is to cultivate the next generation of leaders and to positively impact issues that matter to the American-Turkish community at large. Young Society Leaders represent a diverse field of professions from business, law, science, academia and the arts and are elected by a nomination committee every year.

"Our aim is to facilitate the functioning of an open-platform of select, qualified, socially-engaged leaders who in turn bring their intellectual potential and capabilities to achieve an impact for better American-Turkish engagement," said YSL Chairman Serkan Elden.

This year's new Young Society Leaders are:

    Onur Erzan, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company
    Meredith Walker, Global Economist at The East West Institute
    Egemen Duzgoren, Vice President at Garrison Investment Group
    Emine Nil Erbil, Owner of StyleMood
    Cetin Amato, CEO of Elma Farms and Milas Foods
    Atil Erken, General Partner at Collective Spark
    Dr. Bahar Uslu, Medical Doctor at Society of Histologists and Embryologists (SOHE)
    Selin Kurnaz, Co-Founder & CEO of Massive Bio
    Petek Pekgoz, Global Head of Digital at Lazzard Asset Management
    Goksin Ozkarahan, M.D. & Psychiatrist
    Emrah Ercan, Director of Digital Strategy at General Electric
    Arda Ocal, Broadcaster at MSG Networks, ESPN
    Ege Maltepe, Founder & Director at Spolin-Ist Classical for All
    Gokcen Aygenc, Senior Management Analyst at Statinmed Research
    Dr. Tuna Ozyurekoglu, Assistant Professor & Hand Surgeon, The University of Louisville
    Aydin Balka, Managing Consultant/Owner at Navigant Consulting/ Pataraconcept
    Basak Ilhan Cekceoglu, Founder of Road Design Advertising Agency
    Cem Altuntas, Vice President at Moelis & Company
    Jimmy Cuneyt Gurkan, COO of TOA Consulting
    Ugur Korkmaz, CEO at La Vern Skincare
    Hakki Akdeniz, CEO & Founder of Champion Pizza
    Ozcan Cikmaz, CEO of Hospital on Mobile
    Michael Ashmore, CEO & Founder of Sabah Shoes
    Elif Demircan-Huttemann, Acting Executive Director of AmCham /ABFT Turkey, and
    Aysun Demircan, Associate at McKinsey & Company

The American Turkish Society's mission is to enhance business, economic, and cultural ties between Turkey and the United States. The Society convenes leaders in government, business, and civil society to discuss and advance U.S.-Turkish relations; fosters understanding and cooperation between the two countries through education, cultural exchange, philanthropy, and networking; informs the American public about Turkey's current affairs, economy, history, and society; presents and supports programs highlighting Turkish arts and culture; and nurtures the next generation of leaders through its Young Society Leaders program. Founded in 1949 by a group of visionaries, The American Turkish Society is the oldest American institution dedicated to building bridges between the United States and Turkey in order to achieve common goals of peace and prosperity.The American Turkish Society is a 501(c) 3 charitable organization, registered in New York State. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.