You can get more information about Gulen Movement and its pillars from official pages: http://www.GulenMovement.ca & http://en.fgulen.com/

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Mónica García champions the Gülenist Charter Movement in LAUSD
First published on The Daily Censored on August 5, 2012.
http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2012/08/monica-garcia-champions-gulenist.html
"This increasingly well-rooted network provides the Gulen Movement with daily access to the minds of over 45,000 students, and yearly access to hundreds of millions of hard-earned tax dollars." — Sharon Higgins

Charter schools are privately managed entities with negligible oversight, but funded with public money. The somewhat secretive Gülenist Islamic sect, named after charismatic Turkish Imam Fethullah Gülen, runs more charter schools than any other charter school chain in the United States. While there's nothing wrong with privately financed religious schools, it's problematic at best that public funds are being used to fund religious charter chains.

The cultish Gülenist Movement currently operates eight such privately managed charter schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Several more are slated to open after having won approval under the woefully misnamed "Public School Choice" (PSC) resolution, brewed by former LAUSD District 5 Trustee, Yolie Flores, who was also an employee of the Gates Foundation while concurrently "serving" the school district. Flores' PSC gives brand new school facilities built with public money away to charter school corporations like the Gülenist Magnolia Science Academy.

The individual most responsible for the proliferation of Gülen Charter Schools in LAUSD is the Board President herself, Mónica García. García's ties to the Gülenists are long-standing, and she is a tenacious advocate on their behalf. She is speaking at the Gülenist Pacifica Institute in September 2012 regarding her prominent role in corporate education reform and the unprecedented privatization of LAUSD under her neoliberal reign. The Pacifica Institute ran into controversy last year, when Armenian groups protested the organization's ties to Turkish groups denying the 1915-1918 Armenian genocide. That García chooses to be so insensitive to the considerable Armenian population in her school district is most likely attributable to the fact that there are no Armenian organizations managing large chains of lucrative charter schools in LAUSD.

Advocating for the Gülenist movement and speaking at their events have paid handsome dividends for García. In addition to helping proliferate more privately managed charters schools, the Gülenists have been very generous donors to García's political coffers. García,who raised more than $100,000 in just two months for her 2013 reelection bid, counts several Gülenist operatives among her contributors. Suleyman Bahceci, CEO of Magnolia Charter Corporation, donated $250, as did Varol Gurler, Magnolia's CAO. The Pacifica Institute's Director, Ferdi Mesut Ates, chipped in $100. Pacifica's Ilker Yildiz contributed likewise. Undoubtedly, García will continue to rake in cash from the Gülenist machine, as she has from most of the lucrative corporate charter chains. In an ethical education environment, donations from corporate charters to district board members that have the power to grant them their charters and give them choice facilities would be considered a conflict of interest.

Corporate charter school magnate Yvone Chan also recently donated to García's efforts to capture a third term as a LAUSD Trustee. Milken Educator Award winner Chan, despite a vested interest in the charter school industry, is on the California State Board of Education (SBOE). Like García, Chan has a long and rewarding history with the Gülen Charter Movement. In fact, she made sure that she and her other SBOE members granted Magnolia its Statewide Benefit Charter because:

Yvonne Chan had been on a free, Gulenist-guided trip to Turkey courtesy of the Pacifica Institute in one of the years just prior.

Incidentally, California isn't the only state where the Gülen "leaders lavish gifts and dinners on" politicians.

The Gülen Movement and their ubiquitous Gülen charter schools loom so large on the American education landscape that CBS' 60 Minuntes devoted a full length segment entitled: U.S. charter schools tied to powerful Turkish imam to this phenomenon of school privatization.

What's important here isn't which kind of religious group runs these schools, but that public funds are being used to support schools having overarching political and religious agendas like the Gülenist do. This is no different than the right-wing Milton Friedman inspired capitalism indoctrination American Indian Public Charter Schools and Green Dot Public Schools push on their hapless pupils. The former actually requires their charter school students to make daily pledges to our abject political economy. Nor is it any different than the charter school chain that teaches its students that Emmett Till's brutal murder was a just desert for what they termed his "sexual harassment." The selfsame Celerity Charter Chain pushes a "post-racial curriculum" that ignores institutional racism in favor of students self-colonizing by "dress[ing] for success..." rather than "focus[ing] on how the history of the country has been checkered." Because there's little to no oversight or regulation for the privately managed charter school sector, these and many more such incidents will continue unabated.

There's another major problem with García's expansion of Gülen charter schools in LAUSD. Part of the Gülenist modus operandi is to staff their schools with teachers lacking credentials (part and parcel the standard in the charter school industry), many of whom have never taught before at all. Gülen schools bring in Turkish businessmen and professionals on 1HB visas to teach, yet there is currently a glut of highly qualified, credentialed, unemployed teachers in LAUSD. Gülen supporters claim a lack of educators versed in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), but the reality is that there's neither a shortage of STEM workers nor teachers in the United States. Instead, Gülen movement watchdogs have demonstrated a pattern of abuse in regards to H1B visas.

Ultimately, the failings of Gülen Charter Schools are the same as with all charter schools. They are privately managed. They have unelected boards. They have a glaring lack of transparency both in terms of finances and operations. They contribute to the deprofessionalization of teaching. They undermine public schools and the bare semblance of democracy which those pubic commons represent. They are, to all intents and purposes, private organizations with access to a publicly financed revenue stream. Johathan Kozol's prescience prediction that our public school system was on the corporate auction block is being borne out by the expansion of Charter Management Organizations. Gülen Charter Schools are a symptom of a much deeper systemic problem known as neoliberalism.

School board trustees are elected to represent their community's interests in regards to public schools. That Mónica García is so beholden to the competing interests of the lucrative charter school sector raises serious concerns of opportunism, greed, and favoritism. Her championing of the Gülenist charter movement is further proof that she has little to no consideration of her constituents and our community's schoolchildren.

Special thanks to Sharon Higgins of The Perimeter Primate, Charter School Scandals, and The Broad Report for her copious existing research on this topic and encouraging me to write this specific piece. See this video for an idea of the breadth of her knowledge: Charters, Privatization Of Education & The Gulen Schools In The US: Sharon Higgins Speaks Out

Gulen Movement is not a shadowy organization, it is crystal clear. You can get more information about Gulen Movement and its pillars from official pages: http://www.GulenMovement.ca & http://en.fgulen.com

The Gulen Cult is involved in systemic corruption in the United States ripping off the public and creating a secret web of business operations through their Turkish American Business Council . They also do not let the students and parents know that these are Gulen connected schools although they are part of the Gulen cult network. This is fraud and false advertising in getting students without letting them know who is running the schools.

Corrupt Gulen Run Charter School Alpharetta In Atlanta Exposed in Audit 'egregious' conduct with misuse of tens of millions of public education funds

Audit reveals ‘egregious' conduct by charter school

http://www.ajc.com/news/north-fulton/audit-reveals-egregious-conduct-1452911.html

By Nancy Badertscher and Daarel Burnette

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An Alpharetta charter school has spent taxpayer money to hire workers from overseas, run international field trips without proper supervision and give business to a related non-profit, an audit released Tuesday shows.

Enlarge photo

Vino Wong, vwong [at] ajc.comThe Fulton Science Academy, named a Blue Ribbon School last year, was set to build a new campus with its two sister schools, but the Fulton school board decided not to renew the charter school because of management problems. Officials at the school plans to open the school as a private school.
Enlarge photo

Hyosub Shin, hshin [at] ajc.comSuperintendent Robert Avossa (right) speaks as he discusses with board members about recent audit of the Fulton Science Academy during monthly work session at Fulton County Schools Administrative Center in Atlanta on Tuesday, June 5, 2012.
Related

Read the audit
Schooled: How much will parents overlook?
Fulton schools chief on audit
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Alleged water park crooks nabbed
No commercial flights at Briscoe
2 stabbed at high school
Audit reveals ‘egregious' conduct by charter school
The audit, ordered by Fulton County Public Schools, questions management and financial decisions by leaders of the academically acclaimed Fulton Science Academy Middle School, one of about 130 charter schools with ties to Turkish imam and educational leader M. Fetullah Gulen.

They include a decision to secure a $19 million loan and break ground on a new building for the middle school and companion elementary and high schools, before knowing if the middle school’s charter would be extended.

The academy’s request for a 10-year charter extension was turned down by the Fulton school board last winter and the state in May, largely due to financial and management issues. The academy refused a county offer of a shorter term contract and plans to continue as a private school.

The findings raise questions about the oversight of charter schools, which use tax money but are given far more autonomy and flexibilty than regular public schools, said Fulton schools superintendent Robert Avossa, who released the audit at a school board meeting.

“How did this happen?” Fulton school board member Gail Dean asked during Tuesday’s discussion.

Officials of the school didn’t respond to the audit Tuesday.

Avossa said a charter school’s governance board has chief responsibility for oversight of operations, though, in this case, the audit offers evidence that members of the middle school’s board had conflicts of interest.

“That’s why the conflict of interest is such an issue. That’s the rub,” Avossa said. He said the middle school received $3.7 million in tax dollars last year and more than $30 million over its 10 years of operation.

Additional audits are planned at the nearby charter Fulton Sunshine Academy elementary school and Fulton Science Academy High School, which have overlapping management staffs, the superintendent said. They still have charter status. Together the three schools have about 1,250 students.

Avossa said he will await the response of administrators at the middle school before deciding whether to forward the audit to federal officials or prosecutors.

Middle school officials received a copy of the audit early Tuesday. One member of the school’s governing board, Ayhan Korucu, said he expects school leaders to issue a statement Wednesday. Calls to other board members, the principal and a public relations representative weren’t returned.

Concerns about the school’s financial and management practices have been raised previously, including by State School Superintendent John Barge when the charter extension was denied. The construction loan, Barge said, threatens the financial viability of the three charter schools.

Fulton hired a forensic auditor in February, in part to determine what taxpayer money or assets belonged to the school system, Avossa said. Auditors from IAG Forensics said that when they went to the school to examine records they were met by an “environment of resistance and obstructionism.”

The audit shows that Fulton Science Academy spent nearly $75,000 helping new employees -- and in some cases, their relatives -- who were coming from overseas to maneuver through the immigration process.

Even with Georgia public school systems shedding employees and other well-educated people seeking work, the school hired about 20 percent of staff from foreign countries, mainly Turkey. Most were hired to teach electives and one was hired as human resources manager, the audit found.

Auditors also reported finding “numerous inter-relations between the school, its vendors and other interested parties.”

In one case, the academy paid $239,366 to non-profit Grace Institute for Educational Research and Resources Inc. of Alpharetta, whose board included at least three employees of Fulton Science Academy Middle School, including the school’s then-executive director, Selim Ozdemir; principal, Kenen Sener; and curriculum director, Ali Ozer.

Grace Institute had the same address as the school at least one year, the audit found. It also found that Grace had only two paid staffers -- a receptionist and an IT person -- neither of whom had experience in the services Grace was hired for.

The academy also hired Atlantic Wind Productions for video production services, advertising and other services in December 2010, six months after the company was created and five months after its president, Baybars Bakay, ended a seven-month stint as a teacher at the middle school.

Asked about Bakay’s relation to the academy, school officials told auditors Bakay had been a computer science teacher at the school “maybe five years ago,” the auditors said.

The audit also discusses field trips to Turkey in 2011 and 2012. Almost half of the 33 people who participated in a summer 2011 trip did not appear to pay their own airfare, the auditors found. They said they found no evidence that background checks were performed on adults who traveled with the students and teachers and noted that, on one of the trips, some chaperones did not return with the group and stayed in Turkey longer, possibly on vacation.

“It is unknown where the trip participants stayed, where they ate while they were traveling, and how these expenses were paid for,” the auditors wrote.

Elizabeth Hooper, a public school parent from north Fulton, said the audit findings point to problems that can come from giving charter schools autonomy.

“Why would anyone think it is a good idea to remove oversight of how taxpayer money is spent?” she asked. “Taxpayers need to know who is spending their money and where. And the legislators who want to remove that from public view are obviously doing it for reasons that have nothing to do with public education.”

Fulton County is considered charter-friendly, with 9,000 of its 93,000 students attending 12 local charter schools.

Charter schools are a small but powerful force in the national education reform movement. State legislative leaders are among their biggest supporters and in the last legislative session pushed through a constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters in November, will reinstate the state’s authority to approve charter schools over local school district objections.

Gulen-influenced schools, which emphasize math and science, have grown rapidly into one of the nation’s larger collections of charters. That has brought scrutiny of their associations with Turkey.

Lou Erste, director of the state Department of Education’s charter school division, said one or two charter schools around the country typically will run into major financial problems every year. In Georgia, he said, “I’ve not seen anything quite like this.”

The fact that Fulton Science Academy Middle School had to apply for renewal of its charter application helped shine the light on the school’s problems, Erste said.

“This points to the fact that the law works,” he said. “They failed on every part of the test but academics.”

-- Russell Grantham and John Perry contributed to this article

Texas Gulen Charter School Pay Check Shakedown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLzaasQNc6s


Turkish Islaminc Cult Leader Gulen's Turkish American Business Council Get US Politicians/Corporate/Militarists Support In DC
Supporter Of Privatization Of US Schools

http://www.the-atc.org/2012/C12-Program-2012-0604.pdf
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Registration & Pre-registration Open
Foyer
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM American Friends of Turkey Book Sale Open
Foyer
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ATC Advisory Board Meeting
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM ATC Board of Directors Meeting
4:15 PM - 5:00 PM ATC/TAİK Joint Board Meeting
Salon I
7:30 PM - 8:30 PM Welcoming Reception
Address:
Turkish Ambassador’s Residence
1606 23rd Street, NW
Transportation:
Shuttle busses will depart from hotel entrance, starting at 7:00 PM. The last bus for the Residence will depart at 7:30 PM.
Return busses will depart from the front of the Residence starting at 8:00 PM.
The Residence is within walking distance from the hotel.
TICKETS MUST BE PRESENTED FOR ADMITTANCE
SUNDAY PROGRAM
Page 38
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
7:30 AM - 5:00 PM Registration & Pre-registration Open
Foyer
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM American Friends of Turkey Book Sale Open
Foyer
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM Exhibits Open
Foyer
8:15 AM - 9:45 AM Welcoming Remarks & Keynote Addresses
Salon II & III
9:45 AM - 10:00 AM Plenary Session Break
Foyer
10:00 AM - 11:15 AM Opening Plenary Panel
“Political Landscape”
Salon II & III
11:15 AM - 11:45 AM Morning Networking Break
Foyer
11:45 AM - 1:00 PM Session A-1 / Defense & Security Affairs 1
“U.S.-Turkey Cooperation: Initiatives, Patterns & Challenges”
Salon I
11:45 AM - 1:00 PM Session A-2 / ISPAT
“Profile of the New Turkey”
Plaza
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Luncheon and Keynote Address
Salon II & III
2:30 PM - 3:45 PM Session B-1 / Defense & Security Affairs 2
“New Forms of Defense Cooperation and Partnership”
Salon I
2:30 PM - 3:45 PM Session B-2 / Agribusiness & Food Industries 1
“U.S./Turkey/EU: Understanding differences and crafting a way forward”
Roosevelt Room
3:45 PM - 4:00 PM Afternoon Networking Break
Foyer
4:00 PM - 5:15 PM Session C-1 / Defense & Security Affairs 3
“U.S.-Turkey Defense Industrial Cooperation in the Global Market”
Salon I
4:00 PM - 5:15 PM Session C-2 / Banking & Finance
“New Areas of Cooperation: New Products in Banking and Finance”
Plaza
4:00 PM - 5:15 PM Session C-3 / Agribusiness & Food Industries 2
“U.S.-Turkey Agribusiness Success Stories and Growth”
Roosevelt Room
7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Annual Conference Reception & Dinner
Foyer, Salon II & III
MONDAY PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE
Page 39
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
Welcoming Remarks: Keynote Speaker:
Haluk Dinçer
Chairman, Executive Board,
Turkish-American Business
Council (TAİK)
M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu
President, The Union of Chambers
and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey
(TOBB), Foreign Economic Relations
Board (DEİK)
Amb. Richard L. Armitage (Ret.)
Chairman, Board of Directors,
American-Turkish Council
William H. Swanson
Chairman and CEO,
Raytheon
OPENING CEREMONY AND WELCOMING REMARKS
MONDAY PROGRAM
8:15 AM - 9:45 AM
Salon II & III
Sponsored by: Associate Sponsor:
Page 40
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
Moderator:
Joshua W. Walker
Senior Transatlantic Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States
Panelists:
H.E. Ambassador Yaşar Halit Çevik
Deputy Undersecretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Andrew Finkel
Journalist
The Honorable Philip H. Gordon
Assistant Secretary of State, European and Eurasian Affairs
COMMERCIAl lEADERShIP AwARDS PRESENTED TO:
ChOBANI GlOBAl
Accepting: Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO and Founder
AKSA
Accepting: Mehmet Ali Berkman, Chairman of the Board
10:00 AM - 11:15 AM
Salon II & III
OPENING PLENARY PANEL
“Political Landscape”
MONDAY PROGRAM
Page 41
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
Session A-1 / Defense & Security Affairs 1
“U.S.-Turkey Cooperation: Initiatives, Patterns & Challenges”
11:45 AM - 1:00 PM
Salon I
Moderators:
Muharrem Dörtkaşlı
Chair, Defense Committee, Turkish-American Business Council
COL Jerry L. Kaffka, USAF (Ret.)
Chair, Defense and Security Affairs Committee, American-Turkish Council
Panelists:
Lt.Gen. M. Emin Alpman
Chief, Plans and Principles J-5, Turkish General Staff
Joseph McMillan
Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense, International Security Affairs
letter of Intent Signing Ceremony
hAVElSAN - lOCKhEED MARTIN
MONDAY PROGRAM
Sponsored by:
Media Sponsor:
Page 42
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
Session A-2 / ISPAT
“Prof ile of the New Turkey”
11:45 AM - 1:00 PM
Plaza
Sponsored by:
Introduction:
İlker Aycı
President, ISPAT
Moderator:
Dr. Kerem Alkin
Director, Bloomberg HT
Panelists:
Prof. Dr. Cevdet Akçay
Chief Economist, Yapı Kredi Bank
Heinz Haller
Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer
Dow Chemical
Eugene Willemsen
President, South Europe Region, PEPSICO – Europe
MONDAY PROGRAM
Page 43
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
LUNCHEON
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Salon II & III
MONDAY PROGRAM
Introduction:
Keynote Speakers:
The Honorable Francis J. Ricciardone
United States Ambassador to Turkey
Hüsnü Özyeğin
Founder and Chairman,
FIBA Group
Sponsored by:
Lt.Gen (R) Hayrettin Uzun
General Manager, Turkish Armed Forces Foundation
DISTINGUIShED CAREER AwARD PRESENTED TO:
hüsnü Özyeğin, Founder and Chairman, FIBA Group
Page 44
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
2:30 PM - 3:45 PM
Salon I
Moderator:
Ambassador James H. Holmes (Ret.)
President & CEO, American-Turkish Council
Panelists:
Murad Bayar
Undersecretary for Defense Industries, Ministry of National Defense
Katrina McFarland
Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisitions
MOU Signing Ceremony
ROKETSAN - lOCKhEED MARTIN
AwARD PRESENTATION:
Defense Citation presented to Steven P. Delp
Session B-1 / Defense & Security Affairs 2
“New Forms of Defense Cooperation and Partnership”
MONDAY PROGRAM
Sponsored by:
Media Sponsor:
Page 45
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
2:30 PM - 3:45 PM
Roosevelt Room
Session B-2 / Agribusiness & Food Industries 1
“U.S./Turkey/EU: Understanding differences and crafting a way forward”
MONDAY PROGRAM
Moderators:
Rint Akyüz
President, Starch and Glucose Producers Association, NUD
Joseph Lukitsch
Chair, Agribusiness and Food Industries Committee
American-Turkish Council
Panelists:
Ron Lord
Chief, Import Policies and Export Report Division
Foreign Agricultural Service, US Department of Agriculture
Giulio Menato
Agriculture Attaché
Delegation of the EU to the United States
Dr. Hüsnü Tekin
President, Turkish Sugar Authority
Page 46
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
4:00 PM - 5:15 PM
Salon I
Moderator:
COL Jerry L. Kaffka, USAF (Ret.)
Chair, Defense and Security Affairs Committee, American-Turkish Council
Panelists:
Sedat Güldoğan
Deputy Undersecretary
Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, Ministry of National Defense
Beth M. McCormick
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for
Defense Trade and Regional Security
Al Volkman
Director, International Cooperation
Office of the Undersecretary of Defense, Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics
SPECIAl DEFENSE AwARD PRESENTED TO:
Al Volkman, Director, International Cooperation,
Office of the Undersecretary of Defense, Acquisitions, Technology and logistics
Session C-1 / Defense & Security Affairs 3
“U.S.-Turkey Defense Industrial Cooperation in the Global Market”
MONDAY PROGRAM
Sponsored by:
Media Sponsor:
Page 47
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
4:00 PM - 5:15 PM
Plaza
Moderator:
Charles R. Johnston
Senior Director, Vice President International Government Affairs, Citi
Panelists:
Koray Arıkan
Executive Director, JP Morgan
“New Commercial Code”
Fernando M. Jaime
Vice President, Global Employee Benefits, MetLife
“Pension Products”
Funda Çağlan Mursaloğlu
Deputy CEO, Is Yatirim
“Istanbul Financial Center”
Session C-2 / Banking & Finance
“New Areas of Cooperation: New Products in Banking and Finance”
Sponsored by:
MONDAY PROGRAM
Page 48
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
4:00 PM - 5:15 PM
Roosevelt Room
Moderators:
Joseph Lukitsch
Chair, Agribusiness and Food Industries Committee,
American-Turkish Council
Davut Ökütçü
Executive Board Member, Turkish-American Business Council
Panelists:
Dr. Mehmet Aktaş
Chief Executive Officer, Yasar Holding
David S. Marberger
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Head of Strategy,
Godiva Chocolatier, Inc.
Dr. Ferhat Selli
Deputy Undersecretary, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry
Greg Tyng
International Economist, US Department of Agriculture

Hamdi Ulukaya
Founder and CEO, Chobani Global
Stan D. Warner
Vice President, International Trade, RunAgra
Session C-3 / Agribusiness & Food Industries 2
“U.S.-Turkey: Agribusiness Success Stories and Growth”
MONDAY PROGRAM
Page 49
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
ANNUAL CONFERENCE RECEPTION & DINNER
Reception 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM, Foyer
Dinner 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM, Salon II & III
MONDAY PROGRAM
Introduction:
Keynote Speakers:
H.E. İsmet Yılmaz
Minister of National Defense
The Honorable Leon E. Panetta
Secretary of Defense
Sponsored by:
Thomas A. Kennedy
President, Integrated Defense Systems, Raytheon
Page 50
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
7:30 AM - 6:00 PM Registration & Pre-registration Open
Foyer
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM American Friends of Turkey Book Sale Open
Foyer
9:00 AM - 5:30 PM Exhibits Open
Foyer
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Golden Horn Breakfast
Salon I
9:15 AM - 10:30 AM Tuesday Plenary Session
“Energy Landscape ”
Salon II & III
10:30 AM - 10:45 AM Morning Networking Break
Foyer
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM Session D-1 / Defense & Security Affairs 4
“Turkish Defense Industry as a Best Value Partner”
Salon I
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM Session D-2 / EU
“Turkey/EU/U.S.: Sustaining the Relationship through difficult times”
Plaza
10:45 PM - 12:30 PM Session D-3 / Pharmaceutical Commitee Roundtable
Boardroom
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM Luncheon & Keynote Address
Salon II & III
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Session E-1 / Defense & Security Affairs Session 5
“Infinity and Beyond: Space Cooperation”
Salon I
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Session E-2 / Framework for Strategic & Econonic Commercial Cooperation & Trade Promotion
Plaza
3:30 PM - 3:45 PM Afternoon Networking Break
Foyer
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM Session F-1 / Infrastructure Roundtable
Plaza
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM Session F-2 / Education Roundtable
Roosevelt Room
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM FSI Reception *** By invitation only ***
Plaza
7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Conference Closing Reception & Dinner
Foyer, Salon II & III
TUESDAY PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE
Page 51
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
GOLDEN HORN BREAKFAST
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Salon I
TUESDAY PROGRAM
Sponsored by: Associate Sponsor:
Introduction:
Keynote Speaker:
The Honorable John McCain (R-AZ)
United States Senate
Peter Pastre
Vice President, MetLife
DISTINGUIShED lEADERShIP AwARD PRESENTED TO:
The honorable John McCain (R-AZ), United States Senate
Page 52
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
9:15 AM - 10:30 AM
Salon II & III
TUESDAY PLENARY SESSION
“Energy Landscape”
TUESDAY PROGRAM
Moderator:
Ambassador Mark R. Parris (Ret.)
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Panelists:
John Hannah
Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
The Honorable James F. Jeffrey
United States Ambassador to Iraq
Vladimir Socor
Senior Fellow, Jamestown Foundation
Qubad Talabani
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)
Representative to the United States
Sponsored by:
Page 53
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
Salon I
Moderator
Aziz Sipahi
General Manager, AYESAS and Vestel Defense
Panelists
Jill Albertelli
Vice President, Global Supply Chain, Pratt & Whitney
Osman Okyay
President, Technical Division, Kale Group
Tom Simmons
Vice President, Supply Chain Management, Lockheed Martin
Bekir Ata Yılmaz
Senior Executive Vice President, Aerostructures, TAI
MOU Signing Ceremony
hAVElSAN - ROCKwEll COllINS
Session D-1 / Defense and Security Affairs Session 4
“Turkish Defense Industry as a Best Value Partner”
TUESDAY PROGRAM
Sponsored by:
Media Sponsor:
Page 54
31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
10:45 AM - 12:15 PM
Plaza
Moderator
Tulu Gümüştekin
Member of the Board of Directors, American-Turkish Council
Panelists
H.E. Ambassador João Vale de Almeida
Head of Delegation, Delegation of the European Union to the United States
H.E. Ambassador Haluk Ilıcak
Undersecretary, Ministry for EU Affairs
Deborah A. McCarthy
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs
Cuneyd Zapsu
Chairman, Cuneyd Zapsu Consultancy
Session D-2 / EU
“Turkey/EU/U.S.: Sustaining the Relationship through difficult times”
TUESDAY PROGRAM
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31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
10:45 AM - 12:30 PM
Boardroom
Session D-3 / Pharmaceutical Committee Roundtable
Closed Session
TUESDAY PROGRAM
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31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
LUNCHEON
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Salon II & III
TUESDAY PROGRAM
Introduction:
Keynote Speakers:
H.E. Ambassador Namık Tan
Republic of Turkey Ambassador to
the United States
The Honorable Ron Kirk
United States Trade
Representative
Sponsored by:
Oğuz Toprakoğlu
Chief Financial Officer, Ford Otosan
SPECIAl CITATION PRESENTED TO:
Uğur Terzioğlu
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31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Salon I
Moderator
Ekim Alptekin
Chairman, Turkish American Business Association (TABA/AmCham)
Panelists
Bülent Altan
Senior Director Avionics Systems, SpaceX
Tamer Beser
Director, TUBITAK-SPACE
Gregory Kehrl
Athena Mission Manager, Commercial Launch Services, Lockheed Martin
İbrahim Keskiner
Vice President, Space Systems, TAI
Mark Sirangelo
Corporate Vice President,
Chairman, Space Systems, Sierra Nevada Corporation
Session E-1 / Defense and Security Affairs Session 5
“Inf inity and Beyond: Space Cooperation”
TUESDAY PROGRAM
Sponsored by:
Media Sponsor:
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31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Plaza
Moderators
Günsan Çetin
President, Pera International
Charles R. Johnston
Senior Director, Vice President, International Government Affairs, Citi
Panelists
İlker Aycı
President, ISPAT
Rahşan Cebe
Chairman of the Board, American Business Forum in Turkey (ABFT)
Carl B. Kress
Regional Director, Middle East North Africa and Europe
United States Trade and Development Agency
Mark Mowrey
Deputy Assistant Trade Representative for Europe and Middle East - invited
Matthew Murray
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Eurasia and Europe,
International Trade Administration
Hakan Taşçı
Executive Director, TUSKON US
Uğur Terzioğlu
Chairman at Large, Turkish-American Business Association (TABA)
Representative of Turkish-American Business Council (TAİK-DEİK)
Session E-2 / Framework for Strategic and Economic Commercial
Cooperation and Trade Promotion
TUESDAY PROGRAM
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31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM
Plaza
Moderator
Ambassador James H. Holmes (Ret.)
President & CEO, American-Turkish Council
Panelists
H.E. Ali Suleiman Aujali
Libyan Ambassador to the United States
Charles W. Dittrich
Executive Director, U.S.-Libya Business Association
Minister Ashraf Ezzeldin
Head of Economic and Commercial Office, Embassy of the Arab Republic of Eygpt
Adel Bouzekri Rmili
Economic and Commercial Counselor, Tunisian Embassy
Emin Sazak
Vice Chairman and CEO, Yuksel Holding
President, Turkish Contractors Association
Representative of AECOM
Session F-1 / Infrastructure Roundtable
“Preperation of the Fall Conference in Istanbul” “U.S.-Turkey Cooperation in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia”
TUESDAY PROGRAM
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31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM
Roosevelt Room
Session F-2 / Education Roundtable
“New Areas of Cooperation in Education”
TUESDAY PROGRAM
Moderator
Dr. Sinan Ciddi
Executive Director, Institute of Turkish Studies
Georgetown University
Panelists
Dr. Burak Kuntay
President, American Studies Center
Bahcesehir University
Dr. Christopher Medalis
Director, Global Scholarship Programs
Institute of International Education
Hüsnü Özyeğin
Founder and Chairman, FIBA Group
Dr. Haluk Ünal
President, Turkish American Scientists and Scholars Association
Dr. Sharon Wiener
United States Representative, Koç University
Sonia Ziadé
Program Director
The Washington Center
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31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
CONFERENCE CLOSING RECEPTION & DINNER
Reception 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM, Foyer
Dinner 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM, Salon II & III
TUESDAY PROGRAM
Introduction:
Keynote Speaker:
The Honorable Daniel B. Poneman
Deputy Secretary of Energy
Sponsored by:
Jeffrey A. Safford
Deputy General Manager, AES – Entek
AES Corporation
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31st Annual Conference on U.S.-Turkish Relations
June 10 - 13, 2012 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Washington, DC
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM Defense & Security Affairs Breakfast
Salon I
Sponsored by:
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Interagency Briefing
ATC Golden Horn Members Only
Off-site
Introduction:
Jennifer Caruso
Vice President, International Government Programs, Sikorsky Military Systems
Speakers:
BGEN James E. Daniel
Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché, Office of Defense Cooperation Turkey,
U.S. European Command
Sedat Güldoğan
Deputy Undersecretary
Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, Ministry of National Defense
Closing Remarks:
COL Jerry L. Kaffka, USAF (Ret.)
Chair, Defense and Security Affairs Committee, American-Turkish Council
Muharrem Dörtkaşlı
Chair, Defense Committee, Turkish-American Business Council
WEDNESDAY PROGRAM

A smear campaign has been going on about Fethullah Gulen, charter schools and some non-governmental, non-profit organizations, they are being labeled as Gulen charter schools. It is very strange that this campaign has recently started even though Fethullah Gulen, charter schools and NGOs have been around for more than a decade.

1- Are these schools or any other charter schools in the nation officially affiliated with Gulen? In their charter proposals, is there any such affiliation?

2- Do the school officials confirm any sort of official connection with Fethullah Gulen?

3- Is Fethullah Gulen a criminal? Is he a dangerous person? Can someone explain why he was granted permanent residency by the US authorities if he is dangerous?

I think the purpose of the people who are labeling successful charter schools as Gulen Charter Schools is to defame Fethullah Gulen and successful charter schools. As it was mentioned on CBS's 60 Minutes that nationwide Newsweek Magazine listed some of those two successful charter schools as miracle schools of the nation. They're combining those schools as Gulen Charter Schools, because they're successful. Those people who are actually against good and goodness picking Fethullah Gulen's name as a person to mention with those successful charter schools. Whoever they are, they don't like Fethullah Gulen because of his teachings and positive contribution to humanity in 21st century. In the other hand Turkish oriented people are not the only people operating charter schools. Why are those people picking only charter schools operated by Turkish origin professionals?

http://so-calledgulencharterschools.blogspot.com/

http://gulenschools.org

http://fethullahgulenhizmetmovement.blogspot.com/

http://gulen4universalpeace.blogspot.com/