Founder Board of Directors
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Serhan Ada
(Chairman of the Board)
As founder and faculty member of the Arts and Culture Management Departments at Istanbul Bilgi University and Chair of the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Policy and Cultural Diplomacy; he is the co-editor and author of Introduction to Cultural Policies in Turkey (2000) and Report on Turkish Cultural Policy from the Perspective of Civil Society (2011)books. He has lectured at various universities in Turkey, Europe, the USA, and the Middle East and contributed to cultural policy projects. He writes poetry and essays and speaks fluent English, French, and Spanish.
Sarp Keskiner
(Vice Chairman of the Board)
He has been writing, recording, and designing content since 1994 as a sound designer, editor, and producer. As a cultural manager since 2004, he has been developing programs focused on resource and audience development, networking, strengthening access to culture, venue management, and continuity in documentation with various initiatives, collectives, and associations of which he is a founding member or manager. In this context, he works with independent initiatives, cultural venues, and publications operating in various cities in collaboration with national and international networks, especially in the Aegean-Marmara regions; and he conducts studies aimed at creating participatory and inclusive cultural policies together with the private sector, civil society organizations, and local governments. Currently serving as the Chairman of the Board of Teos Arts and Culture Association, Keskiner is fluent in English.
Başak Işıklar
(General Secretary)
Işıklar, who holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Galatasaray University and a Master’s degree in Cultural Management from Istanbul Bilgi University, worked in brand management and marketing strategy at international companies in the early stages of her career. Since 2009, she has been working as a researcher, cultural manager, and consultant in the field of culture; she carries out projects in the areas of cultural policy development, cultural strategy and planning, and participatory governance. Focusing on strengthening cultural ecosystems and access to and participation in culture in her work, Işıklar speaks fluent English and French.
Founder Partners
Ayşe Seda Naniç Zeybek
Naniç, who works in the fields of cultural heritage studies, participatory governance, and oral history, examined local community participation in UNESCO World Heritage sites through the examples of Troy and Pergamon in her doctoral studies at Istanbul Bilgi University Faculty of Communication. With over fifteen years of experience in international research and strategic planning, and primarily conducting research that combines oral history, urban memory, local participation, cultural heritage, and conservation approaches, Naniç currently teaches research and communication courses part-time at Istanbul Bilgi University. She is fluent in Bosnian and English.
Gökçe Süvari Kantürk
Süvari, who completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Fine Arts, worked as an event coordinator and project manager at K2 Contemporary Art Center (Izmir) and Apartman Project (Istanbul) from 2005 to 2009. After participating in residency programs at IAAB (Basel), La Friche La Belle de Mai (Marseille), Sextant Et Plus (Marseille), and Borusan Art Center (Istanbul); she served as the project coordinator for the Istanbul and Berlin branches of Apartment Project between 2009 and 2015. From 2016 to 2022, she was involved in the development and local coordination of the “Pilot City İzmir” and “Leading City İzmir” programs, implemented in partnership with the Izmir Mediterranean Academy and UCLG. Süvari, who is among the founding members of the Dâhili Bellek (Internal Memory) initiative, which started operating in 2018, and the KARANTINA collective established in 2019, currently serves as the Vice Chairwoman of Teos Arts and Culture Association’s board of directors, and speaks fluent English and has an intermediate level of German.
Begüm Tunakan
Tunakan completed her undergraduate studies in political science at Sabancı University, took courses in international relations and European studies in the USA and the UK, and earned her master’s degree in international relations at Galatasaray University. After working as a foreign policy editor in national and international media organizations, she has been involved in various projects in the fields of inclusive and participatory cultural policies and cultural management since 2024. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Cultural Management at Bilgi University, and her research areas include local government cultural strategies and cultural diplomacy. Currently working at Euronews news channel, Tunakan speaks fluent French and English.
Ceren Ünsever
Ünsever completed her undergraduate studies in International Relations at Bilkent University and her master’s degree in International Business Management at Dokuz Eylül University. Throughout her professional life, she has held various managerial positions, duties, and responsibilities in local, national, and international organizations of various public institutions, serving as a volunteer, intern, civil servant, expert, manager, and department head. In addition to her work in foreign trade and diplomatic relations at the Ministry of Customs and Trade between 2011 and 2016, she has gained significant experience since 2019 through her active roles in the idea and implementation phases of long-term projects with innovative policies in the cultural and artistic fields within the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. Ünsever, who began her doctoral studies in Communication at Yaşar University in 2025 to combine her academic and practical experience in cultural studies, continues her research within this program. She is fluent in English and has an intermediate level of Spanish.