My biography

I was born in 1968 in Turkey. I received my high school diploma from Ankara in 1986 and obtained my bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Administration from Cukurova University (currently Mersin University) in 1992. Subsequently, I completed my master’s education at the University of South Carolina in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Administration in 1997. Following this, I joined Pennsylvania State University's doctoral program in leisure studies and completed my dissertation in 2002. My doctoral education focused on services (tourism) marketing.

I taught courses on hospitality and tourism marketing at Mersin and Gaziosmanpasa Universities in Turkey until 2010. During my tenure, I served as the director of The School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Gaziosmanpasa University from 2004 to 2010. In this capacity, I coordinated the establishment of a modern tourism school, introducing a new program on food and beverage management and a new master's program on tourism management (https://zturizm.gop.edu.tr/Default.aspx?d=tr-TR).

In 2010, I joined International Burch University in Sarajevo (https://www.ibu.edu.ba/) and held various administrative positions while also serving as a marketing professor until 2017. During my time at International Burch University, I taught marketing courses at all levels, mentored master's and doctoral students, initiated the Journal of Economic and Social Studies (JECOSS) as its editor and chaired the International Conference on Economic and Social Studies (ICESoS) on three occasions.

Following my tenure at International Burch University, I transitioned to Epoka University in Tirana in 2017, assuming the role of marketing lecturer in the Business Administration Department. Currently, I lead the ETIO Consulting team (https://etioconsulting.com/) as the founder and CEO of the company.

My research areas encompass nonprofit branding, peer-to-peer service branding, consumer behavior in hospitality and tourism, tourism product development, and destination marketing and management. I have also authored publications across various marketing domains in collaboration with my graduate students.

To see my doctoral thesis, please follow the link at: https://etda.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/5974