With a passion for people, a knack for communication and some wanderlust, Emrah Aktepe leads the Atlas Foundation in its mission to foster mutual understanding, respect and cooperation among various cultures in the Baton Rouge and New Orleans area and connect the community to his organization’s Turkish culture.
As Business Report details in its latest Executive Spotlight feature, Aktepe moved from his native Turkey to Baton Rouge to join Atlas in 2012 because he liked the idea of bringing people of different faiths and cultures together for a living. As executive director of the nonprofit, he has learned the limitations of strained resources and often finds himself wearing many, if not all, of the hats.
Read the full Q&A with Aktepe. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find:
How do you connect Baton Rouge with your Turkish culture?
“This one is very easy. We love to eat and are proud of our food. Food is not to fill your stomach. It is an art. People here are very hospitable so Southern hospitality reminds me of Turkish hospitality in many ways. Baton Rouge is a good mosaic of people of very different ethnicities that also resembles Turkey’s Ottoman background in many ways.”
