ALP KÖKSAL

 

Having studied in both Turkey and the United States at high school and undergraduate levels, I have developed a global and multicultural perspective on education. After graduating from high school in the United States, I have earned my BA degree in Business Administration from Koç University and MA degree in European Studies from Boğaziçi University with a 4.0 GPA as the top of my class. I have worked as a doctoral level researcher at Boğaziçi University, conducted comparative research on Turkey versus developed and developing countries with a focus on social policy and education. I am a PhDc in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Boğaziçi University. 

 

As a good observer and researcher, I have brought my interest in interdisciplinary education, non-profit work and academic background together when I had the opportunity to take a leading role at the start-up of Khan Academy TR, which was founded in 2012 as the first international initiative of the U.S. based Khan Academy. Followed by the initiative in Turkey thanks to STFA Group's vision, today Khan Academy is available in 52 languages and it is known as the world's top free  learning platform with over 140 million students. Khan Academy TR is a non-profit, a leading example of social entrepreneurship in Turkey, an NGO with the goal to support lifelong learning which combines corporate social responsibility and volunteering with a social mission to change education for the better. By providing a free world-class learning resource to anyone, anywhere; Khan Academy's vision is to strengthen the principle of equal opportunities for all in education.

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Currently, I lead the Khan Academy TR team, manage the project of translating, localizing and introducing the non-profit learning platform to Turkey and the Turkish speakers in the world. As an important stakeholder of Turkish education reform today, Khan Academy has delivered over 350 million lessons in Turkey. I serve as the Turkish advocate of Khan Academy and the General Manager of the STFA Group's Education Foundation, established in 1992. STFA Group is one of Turkey's most rooted and reputable conglomerates. Since 1938, the STFA Group operates in over 20 countries in the fields of construction, machinery, energy and investment. As an essential part of its corporate culture, STFA invested in education throughout the years. The STFA Group is the founder of İnanç Lisesi, known as TEVİTÖL today, which is the first and only high school for gifted and special students in Turkey. I am honored to be taking an active role in education related activities of the STFA Group.

 

I am a co-founder and board member of the School Support Association (Okul Destek Derneği). I am proud to be a co-founder of the New Generation Learning Initiative (Yeni Nesil Öğrenme Girişimi), a not-for-profit social initiative with an aim to create an inclusive, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary community of education stakeholders. I'm also serve as a member of the Sector Based Executive Committee at TBD, the Informatics Association of Turkey. I am a member of nationwide opinion and focus groups on education and I also serve as a member of the consultancy boards of various institutions and a number of projects. I was honored to be a judge at the FIRST Robotics Competetion as well as  a member of the jury, science board and strategy board at various education and/or technology related events and organizations. I served as a Board Member at BÜMED (Boğaziçi University Alumni Association) and I am still a Class Representative at KÜMED (Koç University Alumni Association). 

 

I have found the chance to speak at various national and international conferences on education, technology, innovation, social entrepreneurship, civil society and leadership. In 2015, I have been given the honor to keynote the Education Technologies Summit in Ankara, organized by the Ministry of National Education for the very first time, and the Education Technologies Conference in Istanbul. I was invited to become a TEDx Speaker in the largest TED Talks organization in Turkey, and I had a chance to share a part of my story. The same year, I also found the opportunity to speak at MARKA Konferansı (International Brand Conference) sharing how Khan Academy became a global brand in education. In 2016, I have been invited to speak at the Social Good Summit, an international conference on civil society and sustainable development, organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Mobile Learning Week, the United Nations’ flagship event on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education, organized by UNESCO. I have been invited to keynote at international conferences abroad in the field of education or information technologies. I am a multiple times TEDx speaker and a professional speaker registered with the Speaker Agency.

 

I was a founding member to the Executive Board of the Future Camp (TEVİTÖL Gelecek Kampı), a project designed by an independent board and initiated by the STFA Group which was awarded as the "Most Innovative Corporate Social Responsibility Project" by TİSK (Turkish Confederation of Employer Associations) in 2016. In 2017, I was honored as one of the "Ten Outstanding Young Persons" in Turkey and awarded the first prize in the field of "Humanitarian and Voluntary Leadership" by JCI (Junior Chamber International) in Turkey. In 2018, I was nominated for the global first prize for Humanitarian and Voluntary Leadership.

 

I continue to work with an aim to support the digital transformation of education towards a personalized and mastery-based learning and a modern education model supported by education technologies, yet with a focus on human interaction. My professional goals also include strengthening the collaboration among the actors of the civil society and the entrepreneurial world that work in the field of education in order to achieve sustainable development, and to support strengthening equal opportunities for all in education. My ultimate goal is to help revolutionize learning in Turkey as well as the whole world in the age of globalization, and to take an active role in shaping the future of education.

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