ATAA 2025 Annual Conference

ATAA 2025 Annual Conference & Gala
Westin Crystal Hotel
1800 Richmond Hwy, Arlington, VA 22202

Program | Sponsors | Registration | Hotel Information

The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) will hold its 2025 Annual Conference on May 2-3, 2025 at the Westin Crystal City Reagan National Airport in Arlington, VA. The conference will start with registration on Friday, May 2, and end with a gala dinner on Saturday, May 3, in the evening.

The annual conference will bring together ATAA members, Turkish Americans, community leaders, and scholars from across the nation, Canada and Türkiye.

ATAA General Assembly will be held with the delegates at the same venue on Sunday, May 4, 2025. ATAA Delegates are composed of ATAA Board of Directors and Board of Trustee members as well as the representatives of active component associations of the Assembly.

S p o n s o r s

ATAA expresses its sincere appreciation to the sponsors of the 2025 Annual Conference.

P r o g r a m

Friday, May 2, 2025

2:30 pm – 5:30 pm

Capitol Building Tour (sold out)

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
* Reception at the Capitol House Office Building
Rayburn House Office Building Room #2261, 
(Education Subcommittee Hearing Room)
45 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20515
(*Full conference registrants only)

Saturday, May 3, 2025
Westin Crystal City Reagan National Airport
1800 Richmond Hwy, Arlington, VA 22202

7:30 am – 8:30 am
Conference Registration & Breakfast

8:45 am – 9:00 am
Opening Ceremony
Welcoming Remarks by ATAA President Dr. Nilüfer Esen-Bilgin

9:15 am – 10:00 am
Dealing with the Armenian Diaspora: Challenges that Turkish Americans Face!
Keynote Speech by  Ergün Kırlıkovalı
ATAA Former President (2011-13) and Trustee

10:15 am – 11:15 am
Session 1
Political Action Committees (PACs): How They Function, Problems and Solutions

Moderator
G.  Lincoln McCurdy
ATAA Senior Advisor

Speakers
Tuba Fırıncıoğlu
Treasurer, The National Coalition of Turkish American Women PAC (NCTAWPAC)
Hülya Erol Garvett
Treasurer, Turkish Coalition USA PAC (TCUSAPAC)
Melih Bektaş
Chairman, Turkish American Coalition PAC (TACPAC)
Maria Çakırağa
Treasurer, Turkish Coalition California PAC(TCCALPAC)
Tülay Spicker
Treasurer, Turkish American Heritage PAC (Turkish PAC)

11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Session 2
The United States and Türkiye Trade Relations

Moderator
Nurten Ural
ATAA Past President (2007-9), Trustee

Speakers

Onur Bülbül
Founder and President, InnoNative Advisors
Faye Nemer
Founder & CEO of MENA American Chamber of Commerce
Merve Hande Akmehmet Uzun
Economist & Entrepreneur

12:30 pm – 1:45 pm
Luncheon

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Session 3
How to Engage Turkish Language Day at the UN?

Moderator
Alev Wieland, ATAA President-Elect

Speakers

Dr. Sylvia Önder
Head of the Turkish Program, Georgetown University

Dr. Ebru Milci
Scholar and Library Specialist

Introduction by Dr. Selim Erhan
ATAA Trustee and ATAA UN Committee Member

Youth Speakers
Sean Özalpaşan
ATAA Youth UN Representative & YC Member
Yasemin Knott
UN Youth Representative, Turkish Women’s League of America (TWLA)

3:15 pm – 4:15 pm
Session 4
Turkish Schools in the United States: How to make them accredited!

Moderator
Dr. Mehmet Erdem Yaya
ATAA Treasurer & Bright Future Project Representative

Speakers
Ayça Ergisi
Principal, Turkish Women’s League of America (TWLA)  – New York Atatürk School
Emre Murat Bozer
PhD candidate in Second Language Acquisition, the University of Wisconsin–Madison
Saadet Ebru Ergül
President, American Association of Teachers of Turkic Languages (AATT)

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Session 5
Exploring Generational Leadership
Moderator
Mehmet Efe Taşçıoğlu
ATAA Youth Committee Co-Founder & Chair

Speakers
Dr. Ülkü Ülgür
ATAA Founder and First President (1979-84), and Trustee
Gökhan Özalp
ATAA Former President (2018-21)
Bora Özalp
ATAA Youth Committee Member
Sean Özalpaşan
ATAA Youth UN Representative & YC Member

5:35 pm
Closing Remarks

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Reception

7:30 pm – 11:00 pm
2025 Annual Gala
Welcoming Remarks
Dinner
Annual Awards Ceremony
Live Music Performance by Z-Band

(Program subject to change)

R e g i s t r a t i o n

Full Conference Registration | $350
Includes access to all conference sessions, breakfast, lunch, coffee breaks, reception and gala.  

All Day Panels | $180
Includes access to all conference sessions, breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks.

Gala | $180
Includes reception, dinner and entertainment.

Current full-time students (high school and undergraduate only) will receive special discounts ($200 for the full conference, $120 for panels, and $120 for the Gala) for the 2025 Annual Conference. Valid proof of student id is required. ATAA reserves sole discretion to determine eligibility. Please contact our central office at events@ataa.org and/or 202.483.9090 for details.

You will receive a confirmation email at the address you provided under your registration information during purchase. Please ensure that your email address is correct when registering.