Advisory Council

Mary Ann WHITTEN: Mary Ann is a consultant to the State University of New York on its educational programs and exchanges throughout Turkey.

Mary Ann's career has ranged from academia to diplomacy to publishing. She first went to Turkey in the 1970s to teach at Hacettepe University in Ankara, returned in the 1990s as Press Attaché in the U.S. Embassy Ankara (1991-1994) and as Public Affairs Officer in the American Consulate Istanbul (1997-2000). She is the founder of Islander Editions, a branch of the Adalar Vakfi (Princes' Islands Foundation) publishing house, Adali Yayinlari, in Istanbul. In San Francisco, she has volunteered with organizations ranging from the San Francisco Ballet to Open Hand.

A native San Franciscan, Mary Ann has a B.A. in English and two master's degrees from the University of California, one in French language and literature, the other in library and information science. Nowadays, she divides her time between San Francisco and Istanbul.