A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Yasemin enjoys her roles as an administrator, educator, and facilitator. After beginning her dance and psychology training in her hometown, she received a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to attend Connecticut College, where she continued her studies. To combine her two passions, she completed an M.A. at Columbia University in Developmental Psychology, with a focus on creativity and human development. Her background in arts education, prior to joining Gibney, includes working at New 42nd Street’s Education department, All Stars Project and Lyman Allyn Art Museum. Yasemin also has a strong background in research including participating in a study that evaluated Guggenheim Museum’s “Learning Through Art” program as well as collecting data for Yale University’s Emotional Literacy program.
As Director of Community Action at Gibney, Yasemin administers programs that use movement to address gender-based violence including movement workshops for intimate partner violence survivors; teen dating violence prevention assemblies & residencies for young people; and ongoing trainings, workshops and resources locally, nationally and internationally that provide support for projects that are at the intersection of arts and social justice.