Resumes
President
Pınar Ayhan
Pınar Ayhan is a Turkish singer, storyteller, cultural entrepreneur and the Founder and Chair of Tohumluk Foundation.
She graduated from the Department of English Language and Literature at Hacettepe University and pursued graduate studies in Public Relations at Ankara University.
Beginning her professional music career while at university, she worked as a presenter and musician for Türkiye’s national broadcaster, TRT, between 1994 and 2014. In 2000, she represented Türkiye at the 45th Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm with the song Yorgunum Anla, which won the Turkish national selection.
Since 2016, Ayhan has developed acclaimed musical storytelling productions that bring to life the people and defining moments of Türkiye’s modern history through a unique blend of narrative, music and theatre. Her productions have been performed nearly 200 times across the country.
Inspired by the belief that rural and urban communities can learn from one another, she founded Tohumluk Foundation in 2020. Under her leadership, the Foundation develops projects in education, culture, arts, sustainable rural development and community engagement, creating lasting connections between people, places and generations.
She also serves as Chair of the Power of Awareness Association, which promotes early detection and awareness of breast cancer, and is an active member of several civil society organizations dedicated to women’s leadership, public relations and social inclusion.
Vice President
Serra Menekay
Born in Ankara as the first child of a Crimean father and a Thessaloniki mother, he grew up and studied in Ödemiş and İzmir. He graduated from Ege University Faculty of Medicine in 1993, becoming a medical doctor, and completed his specialization in Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry at Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine in 1998. He worked in various laboratories and organizations in different parts of Türkiye and the United States. Alongside his medical profession, he has always been interested in literature. He has published travel writings, essays, and poems in various places.
Serra Menekay has 11 published books, including 5 historical novels titled *Alushta'dan Esen Yeller*, *Kuşbakışı*, *İğne Oyası*, *Şefika*, *Gördesli Makbule*, and *Demirci Akıncıları*; a research book titled *Kıvılcımdan Aleve; Ege'deki Kuvayı Milliye*; two children's books titled *Adını Arayan Çocuk Birinci ve İkinci Kitap*; a memoir titled *Çocuk Gözümden Şimdiki Aklımla Ödemiş*; a book of poetic stories titled *aşkx96=AŞK*; and two books written in the last two years: *Doktor Elması* and *Laf Ebesinin Ödemiş'i*.
The author's first novel, *Winds Blowing from Alushta*, was translated into Ukrainian and published in Ukraine in 2022, despite the Russo-Ukrainian War. This book has been included in the curriculum of the History Department at Kyiv Taras Schevchenko University. Her novel *Şefika* is also taught in Turkish at the same university's Turkology Department. All of the author's books have been acquired by the Ministry of Culture and distributed to libraries throughout the country. Serra Menekay was awarded the BUMİAD Republic Award in 2022 for her contributions to the Republic through her works.
Dr. Serra Menekay lives in Ankara with her husband, Vedat Öncel. She is involved in civil society work as a founding member and Board Member of the Tohumluk Foundation, which aims to build bridges between rural and urban areas, and as a former Regional Representative for Izmir and Kayseri. She continues to read and write.
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Secretary General
Semra Sancak
He was born in Kırıkkale in 1960. He graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Political Science in 1981. He worked for one year at the Ministry of Interior's APK Research Planning and Coordination Board. He completed his 20-year career at Vakıfbank, which he joined after passing the Financial Analyst exam, and retired as Manager from the Fund Management Department in 2003. In the same year, he took over Fırça Sanatevi (Fırça Art House), giving it a new vision and restructuring it as a workshop and gallery.
Semra Sancak, who has been interested in all areas of art since childhood and has been painting for 20 years, continues her work at Fırça Art Gallery as a Gallery Owner and Curator for 19 years. She organizes solo and group exhibitions, international events, and participates in international art fairs. She is the official Art Gallery of IWS International Watercolor Society.
She is a member of the World Advisory Board. She is also a member of the Mülkiyeliler Union, Ankara University Alumni Association, Tüsgad All Art Gallery Owners Association, and Angikad Ankara Entrepreneurial Businesswomen Association. She is a Board Member of the GOP Soroptimist Club and the Culture and Arts representative in the Ankara City Council. She is a Volunteer Member of the Tohumluk Foundation and the Chair of its Culture and Arts Committee.
He has visited and studied cultural and art centers in many countries around the world. His articles, artist interviews, and travel memoirs have been published in Ankara Life Magazine for ten years and in Sanatım Magazine for five years. He has published interviews with over 100 renowned artists.
He is married and has a daughter who is an architect. He has close interests in all branches of art, especially painting, music, swimming, and travel.
Accountant
Hakan Osman Sert
He was born in Ankara on September 7, 1968. He graduated from Afyon High School in 1985 and from the Turkish Military Academy in 1990. He completed his master's degree in Total Quality Management in 2007. Following his service in various units and headquarters of the Turkish Armed Forces, he was appointed as the commander of Anıtkabir in 2019. After this honorable and highly valuable duty, he was appointed as the commander of Anıtkabir in 2022.
He retired from the command.
During his retirement, he was active in social responsibility projects and civil society organizations as a board member of the Anıtkabir Association, the Yenişehir Branch of the Association for Supporting Contemporary Life, and the Ankara Strategy Education and Culture Association. He is married and has one child.
Board Member
Göknil Yılmaz
Born in Zonguldak in 1975, she completed her primary, secondary, and high school education in Zonguldak. She graduated from Gazi University, Faculty of Education, Department of English Language and Education in 1997. She has worked as an English teacher and educational administrator. Since 2013, she has been working as a Coordinator Manager at Sınav Education Institutions. Her areas of expertise include leadership, team building and development, and effective teaching skills.
She provides training in curriculum development and educational psychology. She chairs the Education Committee of the Tohumluk Foundation. She is married and has one daughter.
Board Member
Ümit Özşaşal
She was born in Ankara in 1975. After completing his primary and secondary education in Eskişehir and Istanbul, he was admitted to the Department of Chemical Engineering at Ege University in İzmir in 1993.
After graduating in February 1999, she started working as a Congress Secretary at the Aegean Regional Branch of the Chamber of Chemical Engineers of the Union of Turkish Chambers of Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) in April of the same year. During the same period, she also served as a secretary member in the Board of Directors of the Aegean Regional Branch of the Chamber of Chemical Engineers.
She started working as a sales engineer at Ergen Kimya San.Tic.Ltd.Şti. in June 2000. He currently holds the positions of Marketing & Sales and Procurement coordination at the same company.
She is married and has one son.
Her social responsibilities include membership in the Chamber of Chemical Engineers, volunteering for the Seed Foundation, and membership in LÖSEV (Turkish Leukemia Foundation).
Üye
Aslıhan Sadıkoğlu Kornoşor
She has been investing as an angel investor in technology and social innovation for over 4 years. She has a deep passion for creating innovative solutions and social impact. She is married and a mother of 3 children.
2024 - : Member of the Board of Directors of the Seed Foundation
2020 - : Q-Angels, Koç University Alumni Angel Investor Network, Angel Investor, Co-Founder; It is a social enterprise that brings together alumni investors with experience in different sectors with innovative technology startups.
2010 - : Benay Organization Consulting Construction Contracting Inc., Bursa Project Coordinator
1999 - 2000: CAT Türkiye Project, Istanbul
Consultant, Türkiye's Competitiveness Analysis Project
1997 - 1998: C&C Consulting, Istanbul
Consultant, Strategic Marketing and Feasibility Projects
1995-1999: Koç University Alumni Association, Istanbul
Founder and President
1995 - 1996: Pricewaterhouse Coopers International Limited, Istanbul - Consultant, Auditor
EDUCATION
2016 - : Boğaziçi University, Department of Business Administration - PhD
1993 - 1995: Koç University, MBA
1989 - 1993: Istanbul Technical University, Industrial Engineering
1982 - 1989: Bursa Anatolian High School
AREAS OF INTEREST
Hiking, Trekking, Running