ON MARCH 17-19 /2011.ATAA AND FTAA WİLL JOİNTLY HOST THE FİRST*TURKİSH AMERİCAN LEADERSHİP CONFERANCE*

On March 17-19, 2011, ATAA and FTAA will jointly host the first "Turkish American National Leadership Conference, Empowering Turkish Americans" at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City, Virginia.

Program is subject to change. Please visit www.ataa.org  for updates.

The National Leadership Conference is unprecedented in being jointly sponsored by the two major Turkish American umbrella organizations. It will include the broadest possible spectrum of Turkish Americans. The Conference will focus on strengthening Turkish American grassroots through civic engagement education and training, and the development of an informed and enabled Turkish American community that can effectively support U.S.-Turkish relations.

March 17 Turkish American Capital Day will be dedicated to panels on US-Turkish Relations and Grassroots, and include Congressional visits. March 18, Turkish American Solidarity Day will be dedicated to civic engagement education and training. March 19, Young Turks Day, will be dedicated to more than 15,000 Turkish students who are attending college in the United States and Turkish Student Associations nationwide.

PROGRAM top of page

Wednesday - March 16, 2011

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 ARRIVAL

8:00pm-9:00pm    ATA-DC Happy Hour

Thursday - March 17, 2011 

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TURKISH AMERICAN CAPITAL DAY

8:00am-9:00am    Registration

9:00am-10:00am    Plenary Session

National Anthems by the Vienna Opera Twins, Sinem & Didem Balik

Greetings by President Gunay Evinch, ATAA and President Kaya Boztepe,

FTAA

Welcoming Remarks by:

Congressman Jim Moran*, Host District

Arlington City Council Chairman Chris Zimmerman*, Host County

Alexandria City Mayor William Euille, Host City

District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray*

Ambassador Namık Tan, Republic of Turkey

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, Co-Chair,Turkish Caucus

MP Suat Kınıklıoglu*, TGNA Interparliamentary Commission

Acclamatory remarks by Turkish PM Erdogan, Turkish President Gul and US President Obama

10:00am-11:00am   Panel: US-Turkish Relations

Bulent Ali Riza, Director, Turkey Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Former Turkish Ambassador (TBD)

Top Level, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (100-Year Forecast)

11:00am-12:30pm   Panel: Turkish American Grassroots Advocacy

American Society of Travel Agents* (Speaker TBD)

American Tourism to Turkey: Knowing Turkey, Loving Turkey

Ambassador Marc Grossman*, Chairman, World Affairs Councils of America

The Importance of Educating Grassroots America about Turkey

Iris Gross, Executive Director, Birmingham International Center

Spotlighting Turkey in state public school education

Sam Eskenazi, Director, National Museum of American People

Sharing Your Heritage in America 

12:30pm-2:30pm   Luncheon Keynote Speakers: Ahmet Davutoglu*, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Turkey

Egemen Bagis*, Minister of EU Affairs,Turkey

Turkish Americans, A Role Model for Turks Abroad

2:30pm   Capitol Hill Grassroots Visitations

Shuttle service to Capitol Hill will be provided. 

6:30pm   Ambassador & Madame Tan’s Dinner Reception at the Turkish Embassy Residence

Shuttle service to Residence will be available.

Keynote Speaker: Ambassador Namik Tan, Republic of Turkey

Turkish Americans, A Key American Heritage Community

Recital by Vienna Opera Twins, Sinem & Didem Balik

Friday - March 18, 2011 

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TURKISH AMERICAN SOLIDARITY DAY

9:00am-10:00am   Greetings by President Gunay Evinch, ATAA and President Kaya Boztepe, FTAA

Speaker: Cenk Uygur, MSNBC and Young Turks TV Radio

Empowering Turkish Americans

10:00am-11:00am   Panel: US-Turkish Relations, Challenges and Opportunities

Speaker: Justin McCarthy, Professor of History, University of Louisville

The Turks in America: The Creation of an Enduring Prejudice

11:00pm-12:30pm   Panel: Non-profit organizations, formation, compliance, fundraising

Colette Trohan, Certified Parliamentarian

Running Effective Board Meetings

Non-Profit Formation, Operations, Compliance (Speaker TBD)

Fund Raising (Speaker TBD)

12:30pm-2:30pm   Luncheon

Keynote Speakers: Muhtar Kent*, CEO, Coca Cola

Ambassador Namık Tan*, Republic of Turkey

The Next 100 Years and US-Turkey Relations

2:30pm   Panel: Turkish and US Foreign Missions, “At Your Service”

Interactive with US and Turkish Consuls and Honorary Consuls General

Sharon Wiener, Former US Consul General to Istanbul

Murat Lutem*, Turkish Consul General to Boston

Akil Oktem*, Turkish Consul General to Houston

Mehmet Samsar*, Turkish Consul General to New York

Hakan Tekin*, Turkish Consul General to Los Angeles

Fatih Yildiz*, Turkish Consul General to Chicago

Mona Diamond*, Honorary Consul General to Atlanta

Emru Erten*, Honorary Consul General to Kansas City

Ufuk Gokcen*, Honorary Consul General to Seattle

Erkut Gomulu*, Honorary Consul General to Boston

Earle F. Jones*, Honorary Consul General to Flowood

Bonnie Joy Kaslan*, Honorary Consul General to Kansas City

Prof. Cenap Kiratli*, Honorary Consul General to Baltimore

Nurten Ural*, Honorary Consul General to Detroit

7:30pm   National Turkish American Gala Banquet

National Anthems by Vienna Opera Twins Sinem and Didem Balik Keynote Speakers: Ambassador Namık Tan*, Republic of Turkey

Rifat Hisarciklioglu*, Chairman,TOBB*

Dr. Mehmet Oz*, Vice-Chair and Professor of Surgery at Columbia University

Turkish Folkdance Group (TBA)

Irish Folkdance Group(TBD)

Entertainment (TBA)

Turkish Activism Slide Show

Saturday - March 19, 2011 

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 YOUNG TURKS DAY - Student & Youth Program

10:00am-10:30am   Greetings by President Gunay Evinch, ATAA and President Kaya Boztepe, FTAA

10:30am-11:15am   The Young Turk in America

Cenk Uygur, MSNBC and Young Turks TV Radio 

11:15am-12:00pm   Placing Turkey-related Programming on Public Supported Television

Marty Callaghan, Historian, Journalist & Film Producer

12:00pm-1:30pm   Ambassador’s Luncheon

Keynote Speakers: Ambassador Namik Tan and Madame Tan

“Hiphopistan”: Presentation by Ciğdem Akbay on her documentary regarding the fusion of American and Turkish culture in today’s Türkiye.

1:30am-2:30pm   Panel: Turkish American Students and Campus Life

Immigration and other Legal Matters

Health and Health Insurance

Time Management

Career Planning

Resumé Writing and Interviewing

2:30pm   Panel: Turkish American Student Associations

Forming a Student Association

Financial Support

Cultural Activities

Political Activism (Position Papers on issues that effect US-Turkish relations)

3:30pm   Panel: Turkish Students (TBD)

5:00pm   Talent Show: ‘Empowering Turkish Americans’

7:00pm    Young Turks Dinner and Dance

ACCOMMODATION top of page

The Hyatt Regency Crystal City is located very close to Reagan National Airport (DCA) at 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Virginia, USA 22202. Courtesy shuttle service to and from airport is available. We are pleased to confirm room rates at a discounted rate of Single: $155; Double: $77.5; Triple: $60; Quadruple: $51.25(plus tax, per person). Rates are per night and only valid if booked by March 5, 2011. Free shuttle services will be available to and from Reagan Airport and Crystal City Metro. You can make your reservations for sleeping rooms by dialing 703.418.1234 or by online at resweb.passkey.com. You must identify yourself as member of ATAA. For information and registration call 202-483-9090 or visit www.ataa.org.

Program is subject to change. Please visit www.ataa.org for updates.

Assembly of Turkish American Associations

Home of Turkish American Associations across U.S., Canada and Türkiye

1526 18th St, NW,Washington, DC 20036

Ph 202.483.9090, Fx 202.483.9092 E-mail assembly@ataa.org Web www.ataa.org