Emin Pamucak, born in 1959 in Kütahya, Türkiye, to families of Ottoman Turkish descent from Bulgaria and Greece, has led a life dedicated to community service and leadership. After completing his elementary education in Türkiye, Emin moved to the suburbs of metropolitan Washington, D.C. for his secondary education. He holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in engineering from Boğaziçi University and the University of Maryland, respectively.

Emin’s professional journey spanned 35 years with leading roles at IBM and Lenovo across various U.S. states including Minnesota, New York, Connecticut, and North Carolina. Now retired, he resides in Cary, North Carolina with his wife Ayşe and focuses on his lifelong commitment to making a positive impact through civic engagement and community development.

An advocate for grassroots civic representation, Emin has held multiple leadership roles. He served as a three-term President of the American Turkish Association of North Carolina (ATA-NC), receiving the Association’s Distinguished Member and Leader Awards and leading it to be recognized as the Assembly of Turkish American Associations’ (ATAA) Component Association of the Year. His service also includes being ATAA Vice President for the Southeastern United States.

Emin is a passionate gardener, drawing inspiration from nature that fuels his dedication to the mission of BTF, where he is a founding member and the current President. Under his leadership, BTF has evolved from a nascent, volunteer-led local nonprofit into a professionally governed and sustainable global organization. Emin’s vision continues to guide BTF’s commitment to connecting philanthropic resources with transformative community projects in Türkiye. He is also a founding member and former treasurer of the Aziz and Gwen Sancar Foundation, where he remains actively involved.

E-Mail: emin@bridgetoturkiye.org