Through her non-profit project, more than 30,000 people in the U.S., Europe and Canada were exposed to Turkish coffee for the first time. Gizem’s one-of-a-kind cultural diplomacy project made the headlines of major international publications including The Washington Post, Washingtonian, PRI/BBC and her fans started calling her the “Turkish Coffee Lady”. In May 2012, she was honored by the U.S. Congress for fostering friendship between the Turkish and American peoples through coffee conversations.

From March 2011 to March 2012, she worked at the Press Counselor’s office at the Embassy of Turkey and worked at Turkish Airlines’ Washington DC office as the Sponsorship and Public Relations Coordinator between May 2012-February 2016. She worked as a business development coordinator at Margaret McNamara Education Grants, a women-led non-profit organization hosted by the World Bank. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Banking & Finance from Bilkent University and a master’s degree in Global Marketing Communication & Advertising from Emerson College, Boston. Her professional interests include nation branding and gastro/cultural diplomacy.

In February 2014, Gizem received the “Cultural Sustainability Award” for her “Turkish Coffee Truck” project by Istanbul Tourist Guides Union. In November 2015, she was selected one of “Top Young Outstanding Persons 2015” in the culture category by JCI International. In March 2017, she was named as one of “Top 40 Most Influential Turkish Americans” by Turk of America Magazine. On March 11, 2021, she received the prestigious “Golden Compass Award” for her ‘2019 U.S. Turkish Coffee Truck Tour” by Turkey’s Public Relations Association, TUHID.

Gizem served as the president of American Turkish Association of Washington D.C. (ATA-DC) between 2013-2017. She also served as the Vice President of Capital Region for Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) for two years.

In 2017, she founded Turkish Coffee Lady, Inc; a woman-owned authentic gourmet coffee business dedicated to bridging cultures one coffee at a time. On March 8, 2020, she established the world’s first coffee diplomacy association, Turkish Coffee Lady Foundation, which is also committed to inspiring women entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams.

Her small business was selected as the “success story of 2022” by the Small Business Development Center of Virginia. She was also named as one of the most inspiring women of 2023 by the VIP Alexandria magazine.
Gizen lives in Alexandria, VA with her husband and 8-year old daughter.