The Board of Directors meets twice a month and with the Senior Leadership Team reviews philosophy, policy, strategic planning, and the growth of the school.
The following three members serve on the Board of Directors of the school:
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- Alparslan Tansuğ- ENKA Schools Chair and Founder’s Representative
- Dr. Esra Tara – Board Member & Head of School
- Onur Kaya- Board Member
The Board members serve as unpaid volunteers who are responsible to ENKA for the well-being of the school and for ensuring that the school’s mission is established and put into practice.
The Senior Leadership Team is represented by the Deputy Head, Principals of Pre-School, Primary School, Middle School, and High School, the Dean of Academics, the Dean of Students, and the Communications and Human Resources Director. Collaboratively they work together to advance our school by promoting our school vision, supporting initiatives, and addressing our challenges, meeting all efforts to strengthen the ENKA family.
Hüseyin Kayan- Deputy Head of School and High School Principal
Hüseyin Kayan graduated from Gazi University’s Department of Electrical Education in 1999 and completed his primary, middle, and high school education in Bursa, where he was born. Between 1999 and 2010, he worked as a teacher and administrator in various public schools and took part in total quality management and strategic planning seminars within Bursa Provincial Directorate of National Education.
In 2010, Kayan began his role as Assistant Principal at ENKA Kocaeli Schools, later assuming the position of Principal in February 2017, leading the school in its integrated management system efforts. Kayan has made significant contributions to the outstanding achievements of ENKA Kocaeli Schools including university entrance exams, science olympiads, projects, and robotics competitions.
As of the 2024-2025 academic year, Hüseyin Kayan has assumed the position of Deputy Head of School and High School Principal at ENKA Istanbul Schools.
Metin Ferhatoğlu – Dean of Academics
Metin Ferhatoğlu is the Dean of Academics for ENKA Schools, which coordinates the Overseas College Counseling Office, the Turkish University and Careers Counseling Office, and the Intensive University Preparation Program. Mr. Ferhatoğlu holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Istanbul University, an MBA from Yeditepe University, and will complete his PhD from Bahçeşehir University in 2022 in Educational Technology. Mr. Ferhatoğlu has been in education since 1998, and joined ENKA in 2018. He successfully completed UCLA’s University Counseling Program in 2021 and since 2012, he has been serving on behalf of our school on different committees of the Private Schools Association of Turkey (TÖZOK).
Tağmay Yılmaz – Dean of Students
Tağmay Yılmaz is the Dean of Students overseeing residential life. He is a 2001 graduate of Boğaziçi University’s Department of Chemistry Teaching. He received his master’s degree from Boğaziçi University in Secondary School Science and Math in 2012. Prior to coming to Istanbul ENKA, Tağmay served as a Chemistry Teacher, Head of Science, Coordinator of High School Department Heads, and Middle School Assistant Principal at Adapazarı ENKA Schools, where he has been working since 2001.
Hüsnü Yılmaz – Middle School Principal
Hüsnü Yılmaz is the Middle School Principal for ENKA Schools. He graduated from Hacettepe University’s Department of Mathematics Teaching in 1995 and taught math in private schools before joining Adapazarı ENKA Schools in 2002. Following his tenure as a math teacher there, he became Head of Assessment and Evaluation, after which he became Assistant Principal of Middle School, and for fifteen years he served as Adapazarı’s High School Principal. He took the role of Middle School Principal at ENKA in 2022.
Nilay Yıldırım – Primary School Principal
Nilay Yıldırım is the Principal of ENKA Primary School. She graduated from the Faculty of Education of Trakya University in 2004 where she later completed her master’s degree in Educational Administration, Supervision, and Planning. She served as a classroom teacher in ENKA Primary School between 2007-2018 and was later appointed as the Primary School Principal. In her teaching career she has focused on differentiated education and educational technologies, holding has many certificates in this field. She has participated in various PYP workshops nationally and internationally. In addition, she has held an active role in various training and accreditation processes for organizations such as IB, CIS and NEASC. She has served as the Secretary General of TÖZOK’s (Turkish Private Schools Association) Primary School Commission since 2021. Ms. Yıldırım has presented at workshops including “Big Inventions in Math and Science” (GEMS- developed by the Lawrence Science Field at the University of California, Berkeley). She is a certified GEMS trainer. She successfully completed the “Developing Strategies for Online Teaching and Learning” program by Harvard University and participated the Principals’ Training Center “Creating an Effective School” training in Miami in 2019. She took the role of Primary School Principal in 2018.
Gözde Olcay Koçak – Pre-School Principal
Gözde OLCAY KOÇAK is the Principal of ENKA Pre-School. After graduating from Marmara University Atatürk Faculty of Education’s Department of German Language Teaching in 2008, Koçak has worked in private schools in Pre-School as an English teacher, English Education Coordinator, School Coordinator, Principal and Education Department Academic Advisor, respectively. Koçak served as the General Secretary of TÖZOK (Turkish Private Schools Association) Pre-School Commission between 2019-2022 and is currently completing her 2nd degree sociology. She took the role of Pre-School Principal at Istanbul ENKA in 2022.
Jennifer Eaton- Communications and Human Resources Director
Jennifer Eaton is the Communications and Human Resources Director for ENKA Istanbul Schools. She holds a bachelor’s degree with double major in Literature and Communications from Western Michigan University and is currently completing her Certificate in School Management and Leadership from Harvard University. Prior to joining ENKA in 2017, Eaton served in international curriculum education in Türkiye for more than 20 years, including teaching communications at METU. In addition to serving as the accreditation coordinator at ENKA Istanbul Schools, she is a CIS Evaluator and has served on evaluation teams to audit other international schools. She has been a presenter at international education conferences including ECIS and CEESA as well as locally at ATC and TÖZOK conferences, presenting in both English and Turkish, on topics including marketing, communications, human resources, and international service learning projects.
