Yasemin Özata Çetinkaya (born Yasemin Özata in 1976) is a Turkish civil servant. She served as the Governor of Sinop from February 16, 2015 until July 16, 2016, when she was removed from office and her husband, a colonel in the

Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces ( tr, Türk Kara Kuvvetleri), or Turkish Army (Turkish: ), is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the ...

, was arrested for allegedly taking part in the

2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt On 15 July 2016, a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces, organized as the Peace at Home Council, attempted a coup d'état against state institutions, including the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They attempted to seize cont ...

. Born 1976 in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

, she completed her primary school and high school education in her hometown. In 1996, she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in

Public administration Public Administration (a form of governance) or Public Policy and Administration (an academic discipline) is the implementation of public policy, administration of government establishment (public governance), management of non-profit establ ...

from

Ankara University Ankara University ( tr, Ankara Üniversitesi) is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the formation of the republic in 1923. The university has 40 vocat ...

's Faculty of Political Sciences. She entered

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

, and began her career as a candidate district governor in

Kırıkkale Kırıkkale is the capital of the Kırıkkale Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. It is located 80 km east of Ankara which is the capital city of Turkey. According to the 2000 census, the population of the province is 280,834 ...

. During this term, she attended a language course for eight months in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. After returning home, she was appointed vice district governor in

Gönen, Isparta Gönen is a town and district of Isparta Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. The population is 3,567 as of 2010.The mayor is Mete Elcim ( MHP). The cement plant is a major source of greenhouse gas A greenhouse gas (GHG or GhG) is ...

. After earning a Master's degree from Ankara University, Özata was promoted to district governor status, and served in Kalkandere, Rize, Hamur, Ağrı and Gölpazarı, Bilecik. Between 2008-2011, she was the vice governor in

Batman Province Batman Province ( tr, , ku, Parêzgeha Êlihê) is a province in the Southeast Anatolia Region of Turkey. It was created in May 1990 with the Law No. 3647 taking some parts from the eastern Province of Siirt and some from the southern Province o ...

, from 2011 to 2013 district governor of Hacılar, Kayseri and between 2013 and 2015 district governor in

Talas, Kayseri Talas, formerly known as Dalassa (Greek: Δάλασσα) is a town and now largely suburban enclave in central Anatolia in the district of Kayseri Province in Turkey. The population of Talas city was 165,127 in 2020, up from 30,485 in 1990. It is l ...

. In 2012, she obtained a PhD degree in Economics from the

Black Sea Technical University Karadeniz Technical University ( tr, Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi or KTÜ) is a public research university in Trabzon, in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. Established in 1955, it is the fourth oldest university in Turkey. Karadeniz Technical U ...

. On February 16, 2015, she was appointed governor of

Sinop Province Sinop Province ( tr, Sinop ili ; el, Σινώπη, ''Sinopi'') is a province of Turkey, along the Black Sea. It is located between 41 and 42 degrees North latitude and between 34 and 35 degrees East longitude. The surface area is 5,862 ...

, and took office on March 6, 2015. She became so the third ever female province governor in Turkey. Özata is married to an officer of the Turkish Army. They have three daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cetinkaya, Yasemin Ozata Living people 1976 births Governors of Sinop Turkish women civil servants Turkish civil servants Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences alumni Karadeniz Technical University alumni People from Ankara