Turkish Business Women Living in America - Turk of America

Turkish Americans Women to Serve Under Biden Administration

Three Turkish-American women will serve in the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden, who took office on Jan. 20. Didem Nişancı, former global head of public policy for Bloomberg LP, became the chief of staff for Janet Yellen, the new treasury secretary. Nişancı worked for four years as chief of staff at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the Obama administration, where among other duties she served as chief White House liaison. She also served as staff director of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance and Investment, including in the wake of the 2007-2009 global financial crisis. From 1998 to 2001, she worked as a deputy to the assistant treasury secretary. Nişancı graduated from Smith College and lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two daughters.

November 29, 2021
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Seval Oz Joins MicroVision Board of Directors, Director Bernee D. L. Strom Steps Down

REDMOND, Wash., March 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MicroVision, Inc. (NASDAQ: MVIS), a leader in MEMS based solid state automotive lidar and micro-display technology for augmented reality, today announced that Seval Oz has been appointed to its board of directors and that Bernee D. L. Strom has stepped down as a Director. Seval Oz is a recognized global business and marketing leader in mobility, autonomous vehicle technology and intelligent transportation systems. Oz was a Founder and CEO of Aurima, Inc, a multi-sensor awareness platform powered by AI deep learning for autonomous vehicles. She was previously CEO of Continental Intelligent Transportation Systems, a division of Continental AG Interiors Division.

March 9, 2021
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Didem Nişancı, U.S. Treasury chief of staff under the new administration, is seen in this file photo.

Didem Nişancı: Janet Yellen’s Turkish-American chief of staff

Former U.S. Federal Reserve (FED) Chairperson Janet Yellen has received the approval of the Senate, securing her position as the first woman to be appointed as Treasury secretary in the U.S. Janet Yellen was nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden. Now approved, Yellen's team is coming together, and she has chosen a female candidate of Turkish descent with extensive financial policy experience, Didem Nişancı, to assume the role of the Treasury secretary's chief of staff. Nişancı was born on March 9, 1973, and studied economics in the U.S. between 1991 and 1995.

January 27, 2021
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Özge Güzelsu (fourth from left) with other members of Senate Armed Services Committee. (Credit: National Journal)

Turkish-American Lawyer Özge Güzelsu Was Appointed as Deputy General Counsel (Legislation) of the U.S. Secretary of Defense

There’s a new team in the E-ring starting on Wednesday, newly detailed by close-hold Pentagon planning documents reviewed by Katie Bo Williams, Defense One, deliver news about U.S. defense and national security. Turkish-American lawyer Özge Güzelsu is appointed as Deputy General Counsel (Legislation) of the U.S. Secretary of Defense. She was the member of the Senate Armed Services Committee democratic staff since 2011. Güzelsu graduated from Harvard University in Bachelor of Arts in Literature, History in 1998 and had Doctor of Jurisprudence in Law at Stanford University in 2002.

January 20, 2021
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Turkish businesswoman Derya Taşkın poses with U.S.-President elect Joe Biden at an event.

Businesswoman to be first Turkish Democrat Voting in US Electoral College

New Jersey businesswoman Derya Taşkın will be the first Turk representing the Democratic Party in the U.S. Electoral College, which will formally elect America's next president and vice president.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Taşkın said she has lived in the United States for about 25 years and has been actively working in various positions within the Democratic Party for a long time. The party board recognized her effort and selected her for the post, she said.

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's transition to the White House has officially started, three weeks after he was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

President Donald Trump still refuses to concede and has vowed to continue to fight in court after General Services Administrator Emily Murphy gave the green light Monday for Biden to coordinate with federal agencies ahead of his Jan. 20 inauguration. Trump did, however, tweet that he was directing his team to cooperate on the transition.

Taşkın noted that Turkish people both from Republican and Democratic parties have taken significant steps in U.S. politics. She added that she does not think that Turkish-U.S. relations will deteriorate during Biden’s presidency.

“The two countries have a strong alliance and are NATO members. Biden knows how important NATO is. Biden had some statements in January, but it may be the result of some lobbies and our passivity. With our efforts, I believe we will change the ideas of Biden and his team to bring Turkish-American relations to a better level,” she said.

In an interview in January, Biden said that if he was elected president, his administration would pursue a policy of intervention against Turkey's elected government.

"What I think we should be doing is taking a very different approach to (President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) now, making it clear that we support opposition leadership," said Biden.

He added, suggesting an ultimatum: "He (Erdoğan) has to pay a price. He has to pay a price for whether or not we're going to continue to sell certain weapons to him."

Biden’s statements were met with stark criticism from both ruling and opposition parties.

November 25, 2020
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Belgin Aksoy meets with Oprah in New York

Oprah Winfrey, famous American talk show host, started her 3-month tour - titled "Oprah's 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus" - during which she will be visiting most of the states in the US to talk about the balance between mind, body, and soul.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama was one of the speakers during the Brooklyn leg of her tour - which took place at Barclay's Center and featured the leaders of the wellness industry and changemaker celebrities among the guests. Belgin Aksoy - the person who introduced the "Global Wellness Day" to the world - drew attention by meeting with Oprah.

Belgin Aksoy, who spoke about the sentimental moments of this meeting, said that "While residing among the audience crowd of 15,000, I smiled to myself when I heard Oprah talking about the Global Wellness Day, and thought about how strong each one of us is." Last year, Winfrey also supported the Global Wellness Day via the congratulatory video, which she shared through all of her social media accounts. Aksoy also noted that the moment she thanked Oprah in person for her support "will always be one of the most unforgettable moments" of her life.

Aksoy also invited Oprah Winfrey to Turkey by presenting her a special invitation letter for the 8th anniversary of the Global Wellness Day which will be celebrated on June 13th, at more than 7,000 locations and 150 countries with free-to-participate events.

February 15, 2020
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Facebook appoints a Turkish Businesswoman as the new Regional Director for Middle East, Africa and Turkey

A successful Turkish businesswoman Derya Matraş has been appointed as Regional Director of Facebook in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.

In this role, she will manage Facebook to serve businesses and communities and to grow the company’s economic and social impact across the region.

“The fast-growing ME, Africa and Turkey region is an important market for Facebook. Derya’s wealth of experience in emerging markets and her pioneering spirit will help us further drive impact and value in this uniquely diverse region, while maintaining our mission of bringing people together and building communities,” said Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook’s Europe, Middle East Africa Vice President.

Commenting on her appointment,Derya Matras said: “I am honored to lead this diverse region for Facebook where our goals of building new experiences that meaningfully improve people’s lives and supporting millions of businesses that rely on our services to grow and create jobs, truly come to life. As a woman leader, I am very proud to be appointed to this region where diversity is of crucial importance, and I am looking forward to continuing to drive our significant economic and social value contribution.”

Who is Derya Matras?

Derya Matras, who has been Country Director of Turkey in Facebook since 2015, is leading the Facebook team working to help brands and agencies operating in Turkey to use Facebook, Instagram and other relevant company products in the best way.

Ms. Matraş had a Bachelor of Engineering from Boğaziçi University, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and an MBA degree from Columbia Business School. She previously worked in international companies, including McKinsey & Company. Prior to joining Facebook, she was Vice President of Dogan Media Group, the largest media conglomerate and She also worked at McKinsey & Company advising private sector and governments around the world, especially on the digital economy. Ms. Matras is married with two children.

Facebook:

Facebook had 2.41 billion monthly active users around the world, as of last year. It is blocked in North Korea and China. There are over 40,000 employees and company's revenue was US$55 billion dollars in 2018. Facebook user number is currently 34 million in Turkey and In 2022, the number of monthly active Facebook users is projected to reach 37.72 million individuals.

January 14, 2020
Published in Women
Written by Ali Cinar

Mona Diamond receives her plaque from Barbaros Karaahmet, Partner and Co-Chair of Herrick, Feinstein.

A True Friend of Turkey in Georgia

By Mona Diamond Sunshine - “Three months after I got married, my husband and I traveled to Turkey. At that time, I was given Turkish citizenship as I was married to a Turkish citizen. We settled in Ankara where I lived for two years before returning to the United States. We settled in Atlanta, Georgia where I had my three sons, Burak, Turan and Kamuran. After we settled in Atlanta, we became very involved with the Turkish community here in Atlanta. At that time, we were only 150 Turkish people living in the city. We were a very close knit group and I helped organize the Turkish American Cultural Association of Georgia. I became vice president on two occasions. I was also a member of ATAA in Washington, DC and would go to the yearly meetings of ATAA.

July 1, 2019
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Mona Diamond

Lolita Zinke receives her Friend of Turkey Award from Cenk Ocal, Turkish Airlines General Manager in New York.

Lolita Zinke Will Visit Syrian Refugee Camps in Turkey with A Group of People from Diverse Backgrounds

Lolita Zinke who worked closely with President Trump and served as a member of his Hispanic and women’s outreach committee during the 2016 campaign, has been invited by Serdar Kılıç, Turkish Ambassador to the United States in Washington DC, to visit Syrian refugee camps in Turkey. The group of people from diverse backgrounds who are to come together for this visit will have the chance to see what the Turkish government has done about Syrian refugees. Lolita Zinke, better known as Lola, was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara and California Western School of Law. Afterward, she provided bilingual felony arraignment services for the San Diego Public Defenders Office. Lolita lived in Adana in the late 1980s and she fell in love with the culture, food, and people. She married Ryan Zinke, who served as United States Secretary of the Interior in the Trump Administration between 2017 and 2019, until his resignation.

July 1, 2019
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Hande Meissner, Vice President of Operations of Nexgen Digital, Inc., was elected President of the Independent Distributors of Electronics Association (IDEA) for the 2016-2017 term.

IDEA Selects Hande as Its President

The Independent Distributors of Electronics Association (IDEA) announces the election of Board Officers for the 2016-2017 term. Hande Meissner, Vice President of Operations of Nexgen Digital, Inc., was elected President. Meissner has served on the Board of Directors since 2014 and is the Vice President of Operations of NexGen Digital, Inc., an IDEA Member since 2003.

January 16, 2018
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Top Photo: House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD/5th) with the Turkish American women's delegation, TCA President G. Lincoln McCurdy, and TCA Project Coordinator Liz Clark. Bottom Right Photo: Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL/2nd), member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, with the Turkish American women's delegation. Bottom Left Photo: Rep. Anthony Brown (D-MD/4th), member of the Armed Services Committee, with the Turkish American women's delegation.

Turkish American Woman Attend Congressional Black Caucus New York Retreat

As part of TCA's Turkish American Women's Leadership Initiative, last weekend a delegation of five Turkish American women joined members of Congress and industry representatives at the Congressional Black Caucus PAC's (CBC) Annual Retreat in New York City from July 21-23, 2017. Nineteen Congressional Black Caucus members took part in the retreat as well as special guests House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD/5th) and Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY/10th), Filemon Vela (D-TX/34th), and Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX/15th). Representatives from 75 companies and organizations also took part in the retreat.

July 25, 2017
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Zuora Adds Magdalena Yesil, Salesforce's First Investor to Its Board as It Moves Toward Going Public

Subscription-software company Zuora added Magdalena Yesil, the first investor in Salesforce, to its board as it ramps up toward going public. San Mateo-based Zuora, a “unicorn” valued at more than $1 billion, has been on analysts’ lists for years as a company likely to go public. CB Insights rated it as one of the top five companies most likely to go public in 2017. Zuora has ridden the "subscription economy" to more than $100 million in annual revenue and around $250 million in venture capital funding. The 800-employee software-as-a-service company makes applications for businesses built around subscriptions, including Box, Zendesk and media outlets such as The Guardian and the Financial Times.

Yesil’s experience helping Salesforce transition from being a private company to a public company will be valuable to Zuora as it looks to do the same.

“We are starting to transform our board and shifting from an early-stage, venture-backed board to something that looks more like an independent, public company board,” Zuora founder and CEO Tien Tzuo told the Business Times.

“We are really looking at the next phase of our company,” he added.

Tzuo declined to comment on whether the company would try go to public this year, but he said it is “making initial moves” toward an IPO.

“The first step is really to have people sitting around a table who have experience with that, and then we’ll take it from there,” he said.

Yesil joins Ken Goldman, Yahoo’s chief financial officer, in the first group of independent directors on Zuora’s board.

Yesil was a general partner for eight years at US Venture partners and was an early investor in more than 30 companies. Prior to that, she founded two e-commerce companies, CyberCash and MarketPay.

“I’m delighted to join the board of Zuora as it matures into an global enterprise software leader,” Yesil said in a statement. “My first-hand experience with Salesforce from its initial funding to public market success will be integral to providing guidance to help Zuora reach its next stage of development.” - By Alisha Green Reporter San Francisco Business Times

July 17, 2017
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Turkish Tech Startups Head to Silicon Valley

SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA — Since the failed military coup in Turkey one year ago, it's been harder for startups to attract foreign investment, said entrepreneurs at a recent tech conference in California. After the July 15, 2016, coup attempt, the Turkish government cracked down on perceived opponents to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Many have lost their jobs and thousands have been imprisoned, including journalists, academics and activists. For Mustafa Acet, an entrepreneur in Istanbul, the coup and its aftermath have been a setback for the burgeoning tech ecosystem in Turkey. He recently attended Etohum San Francisco, an event bridging the Turkish startup community with Silicon Valley.