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Ercüment Kılıç moved to the United States in 1977, and for over
20 years lived in Texas where he graduated from The University
of Texas with degrees in Economics and International Politics.
Until moving to Washington, DC, and moving his home to
Washington, DC, in Dallas he was a businessman operating travel
and finance companies.
Kılıç , throughout his years as a student and a businessman was
also deeply involved his Turkish-American community.
Kılıç presided many times as the president of the Turkish
association TURANT in Dallas which became one of the most
successful Turkish organizations in the US with some of the most
original ideas in the country.
Under the leadership of Ercüment Kılıç who worked in the
campaigns of many American politicians, TURANT also set examples
for other national Turkish organization around the country with
unequaled works in the past. In order to promote the positive
existence of the Turkish-Americans, printing of many booklets,
campaigns to fed the hungry in the streets, blood donation
campaigns, PBS TV programs, organizing of many seminars and
conferences to explain the Turkish views, organizing of the
Turkish-American women's chapters were among some of the works
of Ercüment Kiliç with TURANT.
In Texas, through his works, Ercüment Kılıç contributed to 19 of
60 US Congressman in the Turkish Caucus being from the state of
Texas. His efforts in TURANT and the Turkish lobby were followed
by his works to promote the Turkic world.
Working with US Congressman Jim Moody as his organizer and
translator, Ercüment Kılıç arranged formal trips for Mr. Moody
to Azerbaijan and Ukraine as Mr. Moody became the first US
congressman in the history to visit Republic of Azerbaijan.
Following such visits, Mr. Moody became instrumental in telling
to the American Congress, media, and the public the stories of
Karabag, and Crimean people who were returning back to their
homeland after 45 five years of absence, having been forcefully
migrated to Central Asia during World War II.
After having been elected in 2003 as the president of ATAA
(Assembly of Turkish American Associations) which is the
umbrella organization of 54 local Turkish-American associations
in the US, Ercüment Kılıç moved his home to Washington, DC and
initiated reformist ideas in the Turkish-American civil service
movement in the United States. He promoted the concept of acting
as an American NGO without the financial assistance of Turkish
government's promotional funds, began a brand new internship
programs for the Turkish youth at the United States Congress,
and concentrated on adding more US congressmen to the Turkish
Caucus in the House of Representatives,
After having been received by Vice President Dick Cheney, and
the Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, Ercüment Kılıç's work
in Washington, DC did not go unnoticed, and he was invited to
The House by President George Bush for a foreign diplomats'
dinner as the only leader of a civil service organization.
Ercüment Kılıç havng received traning in Turkish dance and music
in early ages, before coming to The United States joined the
Turkish National Ensemble in Ankara. Since 1977, he promoted the
Turkish culture around the world. Through numerous invitations
from around the globe, he became a self appointed Turkish
ambassador in all 50 states of the US, and Canada, England,
Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Taiwan, Republic of China, Hong
Kong, and Japan. Besides seminars, conferences, through radio
and television programs, he promoted to millions of people
Turkey and the Turkic cultures
Many of Ercüment Kılıç's articles and research material have
also been published by the cultural organizations of many
countries. Also as a musician, during his university years and
between 1979 and 1998, he produced many Turkish music recordings
with an orchestra he formed consisting mostly with his American
friends.
Currently, Ercüment Kılıç is the CEO of a Washington-based
consultancy firm,
ArenaUS.
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