Tugsan TOPCUOGLU: Tugsan was born in Zonguldak, Turkey and moved to Istanbul for his college education.

He received his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Istanbul Technical University in 1998. During his college years, he volunteered for AEGEE (European Student Forum). Afterwards, he came to the U.S. and graduated with an M.B.A. degree from Southern Illinois University, where he initiated a Turkish Student Association.

In 2001, he moved to the Bay Area and started working for Macy's as a Systems Analyst. He has been serving on the Board of Turkish American Association of California (TAAC) for the last three years. He enjoys reading, playing his guitar and keyboard, and taking road trips.