Orange County Turkish American Association (OCTAA)
Nominees for 2009 – 2010 OCTAA Board of Directors
OCTAA is proud to announce the nominees for the 5th General Assembly meeting to be held on Saturday, December 13, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. South Coast Chinese Cultural Center located at 9 Truman Irvine, CA 92620. At this meeting, we must elect three (3) members for the Board of Directors. The positions will be for two-year terms as described in our Constitution & Bylaws. All members are invited to participate and vote in person at the General Assembly Meeting during OCTAA’s Anniversary event. Members may cast votes and speak to nominees from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Election results will be announced later during the event.
The General Assembly meeting is open to all of the members of the Organization. However, in order to cast your votes, you must be a member in good standing (i.e., paid member through 2009) with OCTAA. Following the election, the ballots will be counted and results will be announced by one of the Election Committee members. If you are unable to attend the meeting, you can send a written voter proxy with one of the members in good standing (click here to download a voter proxy).
The following is provided as background information on the three nominees running for the three open positions on the board. We feel fortunate to be fielding such a dedicated and talented group of persons as nominees. However, please keep in mind that voting is not limited to these persons. Per our bylaws, other members in good standing may run from the floor as write-in candidates on the day of the election. We look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday.
DR. KADIR DINC
Background: Dr. Kadir Dinc was born in Sakarya, Turkiye. He earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from ODTU and a Ph.D. degree from NJIT, all in electrical engineering. He has lived in United States since 1986. He has been a resident of Southern California and a member of OCTAA since May 2006. He is married with two children.
Statement of Interest: I have participated to numerous ATA activities in the East Coast where I used to live. I will be honored to serve as an advocate of Turkish American Community in Orange County. I am very motivated to promote Turkish culture and intellect for better recognition of Turkiye. I want to serve for self-sufficiency and self-reliance of OCTAA. I am committed to work with the necessary capacity of serving the Turkish Community in Orange County.
ESRA COSAR
One of my distinguishing attributes has always been a strong passion to be involved with my community and further contribute to its promotion. I have always sought potential opportunities to utilize my communication and leadership skills to become a dedicated team member, build successful relationships, and invigorate the people I have interacted. With this drive, throughout my education and work life, I have assumed important roles in various organizations and social clubs.
I strongly believe that these attributes position me well as a candidate for the Board of Directors (BOD) of Orange County Turkish American Association (OCTAA). Through this role, I will be able to further serve the Turkish-American community in Southern California.
I received my undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering from Middle East Technical University in Turkey. In August 2003, I was awarded graduate assistantship by the Industrial Engineering department of State University of New York at Buffalo. After I completed my Master’s degree in September 2005, I joined ZS Associates, a sales and marketing consulting firm, as an Analyst. Since July 2008, I have been working for Deloitte Consulting in Costa Mesa as a Consultant.
Besides the academic and business work I conducted, I took part in various extra-curricular activities to balance my work and personal life. During my graduate study, I served as the Vice President of the Turkish Graduate School Association in SUNY at Buffalo, where I organized several social events including get-together dinners and picnics. I was also the Lead dancer of the Turkish folk dance group in Buffalo and danced during my two years in graduate school. Currently serving on Deloitte’s WIN (Women’s Initiative) Social and Networking Committee for FY09, I am organizing several events within the organization to bring practitioners together in a fun, relaxing and social environment to expand their network and learn from each other’s experiences.
I am aware of the difficulties and qualifications that serving on the Board of OCTAA requires, and I am very confident that I can manage to overcome the challenges this role poses.
HALIT NEJAT YAKUPOGLU
