Dr. Ata Erim
Former President of Federation of Turkish American Associations
New Jersey
TOA Awards 2026
Jury & Selection Committee
Independent voices. Distinguished leadership.
A distinguished Jury Committee of well-known figures from the Turkish-American community evaluates every nominee, supported by a dedicated Selection Committee.
Jurors
24 jurors from business, academia, medicine, law, media, diplomacy and community leadership.
Bonnie Joy Kaslan
Former Honorary Consul General of Republic of Türkiye, San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco, CA
Prof. Burak Kuntay
Rector, Beykoz University
İstanbul, Türkiye
Prof. Cengiz Sisman
Professor of History, University of Houston-Clear Lake
Ebru Cimen Tarhan
Non-Profit Strategist; Founder, Viva Terra Selection
Houston, Texas
Ergun Kirlikovali
Former President of Assembly of Turkish American Associations / President, Integrated Polymer Industries, Inc.
Irvine, California
G. Lincoln McCurdy
International Affairs Professional, Former President of Turkish Coalition of America (TCA)
Washington, DC
Dr. Hakan Karalok
Researcher Associate at Yale University School of Medicine
New York, NY
Dr. Halil Mutlu
Internal Medicine and Hospital Medicine, MD Hospital Medicine
Springfield, MA
John Driscoll
Counsel, Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP
New York, NY
Kursad Dogru
President at Next International, Inc., Board Member of TURANT
Dallas, Texas
Lydia Borland
President, LB International Solutions LLC
Washington, DC
Mazlum Kosma
Former President of Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA)
Georgia
Mehmet Ali Ozkan
CEO of Ajans Press Technology
Melih Bektas
Chairman & Treasurer, Turkish American Coalition Political Action Committee
North Providence, Rhode Island
Mona Diamond Sunshine
Former Honorary Consul General of Türkiye for Georgia
Atlanta, GA
Said Nurhan
Former President of the Society of Turkish American Architects, Engineers & Scientists, Inc.
New York, NY
Sevil Ozısık
Immigration Attorney, Ozisik PLLC; Executive Board Member, DTIK American Regional Committee
New York, NY
Suleyman Ecevit Sanlı
Chair of Turkish American Business Associations – AmCham Türkiye
İstanbul, Türkiye
Dr. Sukru Elekdag
Former Ambassador of Türkiye to United States
İstanbul, Türkiye
Tomris Azeri
President, Azerbaijan Society of America
New Jersey
Dr. Ulku Ulgur
Founder and First President of Assembly of Turkish American Associations
Ellicott City, Maryland
Umran Beba
Partner at August Leadership
Greenwich, Connecticut
Vahap Munyar
Newspaper columnist, Ekonomim
İstanbul, Türkiye
Selection Committee
Responsible for reviewing submissions, verifying nominee information, and supporting the jury in the final selection.
Cemil Ozyurt
Chair
Founder of Turk of America Awards
Anıl Sural
White House Correspondent, Washington Bureau, Önce Vatan Gazetesi
Aysu Unal
Former President of The Society of Turkish American Architects, Engineers and Scientists Association (MIM), Architect
Ayse Zamboglu
Angel Investor, STEM Mentor, Entrepreneurship Education
Burcu Tansu
President, Burcu Consulting, Inc. – Board Member of Los Angeles Turkish American Associations LA
Can Kamiloglu
Journalist
Demet Cabbar
ATA DC former President, Senior Technical Assistance Officer of International Monetary Fund
Deniz Celik
Owner, Founder of Amerikalı Türk
Dilek Kaya
IHA, US Correspondent
Dr. Isıl Acehan
Assistant Professor, Harvard University, Fulbright Fellow, Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli Üniversitesi
Kubra Kocaaga
Business Development Manager, Community Abroad
Ozlem Ozgut Yorekli
ABD Post Editor
Razi Canikligil
Publisher, United Nations based Envoy Magazine
Selcuk Acar
Publisher, Turkish Journal
Scored on 5 criteria, out of 50
Every juror evaluates nominees with the same scoring framework. The final ranking is based on the average score of all jury members.