Join Us for the ATAA 2025 Annual Conference & Gala
at the Westin Crystal City Hotel, 1800 Richmond Hwy, Arlington, VA 22202
Online Registration | Sponsorship Opportunities | Program Booklet Advertisement
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.
Sponsors
ATAA expresses its sincere appreciation to the sponsors of the 2025 Annual Conference.
Program
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)
Registration
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.
Hotel Information
The Westin Crystal City Reagan National Airport
1800 Richmond Highway, Arlington, Virginia, 22202
Toll Free: +1-800-937-8461
www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/waswi-the-westin-crystal-city-reagan-national-airport
A discounted conference room rate of $179 + tax per room per night, a 35% discount on garage self-parking, and complimentary in-room wifi were available for attendees of the 2025 Annual Conference.
The Westin Crystal City is adjacent to the Crystal City Metro station (blue and yellow lines) and minutes to Washington D.C., Reagan National Airport (1 mile; ask about our free airport shuttle), U.S. Government offices, and Crystal City restaurants.
