2022-2025 Board of Directors
Chair: Merve Cirisoglu
Merve Cirisoglu is an animation director, producer, and educator, creating visual projects and animations for children. She graduated with honors from Boğaziçi University's Faculty of Education and completed her master's with distinction at the University of the Arts London in Animation. Her work, reaching millions of viewers, has won 45 awards including "Best Animation" in various international festivals and has also been awarded at the United Nations Headquarters. Cirisoglu planted the seeds for Iyilikhane, nurturing its beginnings with the Bookmark Project she initiated in 2011. She is the founder of Iyilikhane and chair of the Board of Directors.
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Vice Chair: Z. Sena Soyyigit
Z. Sena Soyyigit, an expert psychological counselor, engages in fields spanning childhood, youth, education, volunteering, and civil society. With honors, she completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Psychological Counseling and Guidance at Marmara University. Since 2012, she has been an active member of the Bookmark Project team. As a founding member and vice chair of Iyilikhane, Soyyigit leads the association's administrations and provides guidance as an educational project consultant.
Treasurer: Ayşe Seyyide Kaptaner Demirhan
Ayşe Seyyide Demirhan studied Industrial Engineering at Istanbul Technical University and completed her master's in Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Management at Imperial College London. She holds a PhD in refugee entrepreneurship at Birkbeck, University of London, where she also worked as a teaching associate and researcher. She currently works as a Project Manager at a consulting firm. Involved in global projects focusing on refugees within EdTech and social entrepreneurship, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of Iyilikhane since April 2021.
Member: Melike Saka
As a social work expert, Melike Saka completed her undergraduate degree from Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University and is pursuing her master's in Spiritual Counseling and Guidance at 29 Mayıs University. She has engaged in volunteer work with various NGOs since 2015, including İyilikhane, where she has served as the Corporate Communication and Project Coordinator since 2019. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of Iyilikhane Association for Children since April 2021.
Member: Makbule Haykıran
Makbule Haykıran completed her undergraduate degree in Comparative Linguistics and Applied Foreign Languages at Galatasaray University, and her master's in Children’s Literature Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London. She works as a digital producer in the media industry, focusing on culture and the arts. She has actively participated in volunteer work and became a member of the Board of Directors of Iyilikhane Association for Children in September 2022.