Board of Directors

Dr. Arzu Eylül Yalçınkaya is a historian of Ottoman cultural and social thought, with a focus on intellectual history, ethical traditions, and the transmission of Turkish literary and musical heritage. She is a faculty member at the Institute for Sufi Studies at Üsküdar University in Istanbul and has held visiting research positions at Harvard University's Center for Middle Eastern Studies.

Her work explores the role of late Ottoman intellectuals—particularly those shaped by Sufi traditions—in processes of modernization and cultural continuity. Bringing together archival research, textual interpretation, and artistic practice, Dr. Yalçınkaya's scholarship investigates the evolution of ethical ideals, forms of spiritual expression, and the aesthetic sensibilities of late Ottoman and early Republican society.

She has contributed to the field through academic publications, curated concerts, interdisciplinary conferences, and musical performances in Istanbul, New York, Boston, and Cambridge—often exploring classical Turkish music and the symbolic world of the makam tradition.

As the founder of The Kenan Center for Turkish Cultural Studies, Dr. Yalçınkaya has envisioned the Center as a platform where rigorous scholarship, creative production, and cultural renewal converge—grounded in Turkish intellectual legacies yet open to the imaginative possibilities of the present.

Ayşe Sarıgöllü Güzel is an entrepreneur and executive specializing in financial technologies, innovation, and digital transformation. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in industrial engineering and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Innovation at Carolina University.

She is a co-founder of Payolog and PayCloud, and has played a key role in launching and scaling multiple technology ventures globally. Her work spans a wide range of fields including payment systems, SoftPOS, smart city solutions, and digital identity technologies.

Recognized for her entrepreneurial achievements, she has received prestigious awards such as the Stevie Awards, and serves as a jury member for the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Program, contributing to the evaluation of groundbreaking startups across Europe.

A mother of three, Sarıgöllü Güzel brings a human-centered and culturally grounded perspective to technology leadership. As a member of the Board of Directors at Kenan Center, she contributes to the Center's strategic mission of preserving cultural heritage and strengthening academic and cultural ties within the diaspora.

Mustafa is an international businessman building and growing businesses at the intersection of social impact, technology and AI. A former development banker and management consultant, he led strategic projects driving economic and financial sector development in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia and Middle East.

He is the co-founder of CarbonSifr, an energy transition start-up driving decarbonization of businesses with agentic AI applications. Previously, he held the prestigious Managing Director and Partner role at The Boston Consulting Group where he led social impact and banking practices in the Middle East.

In addition to his business career, Mustafa is an award-winning producer of purpose-driven art and movie projects. He holds an MBA from INSEAD and MSc in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.