Rifat DAĞ, Agricultural Engineer, President
Rifat DAĞ, born in 1945 in Elazığ, graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at Atatürk University in 1967. Afterward, he served in various public and private organizations.
He began his career as a zootechnician at State Farms (DÇÇ), affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture, from 1969 to 1974, where he worked as a field assistant in the research titled "Genetic Improvement of Dağlıç Sheep."
Between 1975 and 1980, he held various positions at the Ministry of Villages-Cooperatives, including Feasibility Committee Directorate, Project Department Presidency, and in 1980, he became the Project Manager at the Turkey Development Foundation (TKV) in Ankara. From 1981 to 1984, he served as the Regional Director in Diyarbakır, followed by being appointed as the General Manager for Egg Poultry Special Investment from 1985 to 1992. Between 1998 and 2004, he served as the General Coordinator at the Southeastern Anatolia Project Regional Development Administration (GAP-BKİ).
He joined TKV's rural development program in 1977 and initiated the first KÖY-TÜR Meat Poultry Project in Ankara under the 5th Livestock Project of TKV in 1980.
In 1985, he established Turkey's first climate-controlled egg poultry facility in Diyarbakır, receiving FAO's success certificate in 2006.
He has publications in rural development, regional development, and producer organization fields.
Prof. Dr. Aziz EKŞİ, Agricultural Engineer, Member
Born in 1947 in Ordu/Mesudiye, Aziz EKŞİ graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Food Technology, in 1968. He started working as a research assistant in the same department in 1969 and completed his doctoral thesis in 1974.
He won a HUMBOLDT research scholarship and conducted research at Munich Technical University for two years from 1977 to 1979. He received his associate professorship in 1979 and professorship in 1988 at Ankara University.
Besides his academic career, he held various positions such as President of the Food Technology Association, membership in Health Ministry's Food Additives Commission, and Chairmanship of the Turkey Food Codex Food Labeling Commission.
He contributed to local development efforts in Mesudiye and served as the President of the Mesudiye Development Foundation from 2002 to 2006.
His publications primarily focus on food chemistry, quality changes in foods, food security, and food safety.
He retired from Ankara University in 2014, taught at Lefke European University from 2014 to 2018, and has been serving at Istanbul Topkapı University since 2018.
He received the Science Award from the Chamber of Agricultural Engineers in 2014 and the Loyalty Award from Ankara University in 2016.
He has been a member of the Turkey Development Foundation Board of Trustees since 2022.
Rahim YENİ, Agricultural Engineer, Member
Rahim YENİ graduated from Ege University Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Soil Science, in 1980. He started his career as an agricultural engineer at the Ministry of Agriculture's Soil Research Institute (APK) in the same year.
He completed a master's degree in statistics in 1988 and participated in numerous professional and project training programs both domestically and internationally. He also lectured on agriculture and agricultural policies at the National Security Academy for five years.
He presented papers on Agriculture and Support Policies at various panels and symposiums and held roles in various NGOs and professional organizations.
Currently, he is a member of the Turkey Development Foundation Board of Trustees and Board of Directors.
Deniz BERBER, Engineer, Member
Deniz Berber graduated from the Middle East Technical University Department of Food Engineering in 1988 and completed postgraduate studies in Agricultural Economics at Ankara University Faculty of Agriculture between 2016 and 2018.
He began his career as a plant and operations engineer at the Meat and Fish Institution. He later served as an Engineer, Project Coordinator, Deputy Department Head, and Advisor General Manager at the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Livestock.
After nearly 30 years of public service, he worked as a Program Policy Manager at the United Nations World Food Program from 2016 to 2019 and currently serves as the Konya Province Project Coordinator at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Dr. Davut Yeşil, Agricultural Engineer, Member
Davut Yeşil graduated from Ege University Faculty of Agriculture in 1996 and obtained a master's degree in Landscape Architecture from Ege University in 2001 and a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Selçuk University in 2021.
He started his career in the Netherlands, engaging in international trade of indoor and outdoor plants. He then worked on various projects and held leadership positions, contributing significantly to regional development efforts.
He has certifications in Entrepreneurship, PCM Training, Agile Project Management, Feasibility Study Preparation, Lean Production, and Management Consultancy.
He is an accredited Level 6 SME Consultant, Level 5 Business Consultant, Lean Production and Management Consultant, C1 - PM² Project Management Professional, and Foreign Trade Specialist.