Esra Urkmez MBA

Esra Urkmez is the President and Co-Founder of Dance With Cancer New York, USA; Co-Founder and Board Member of Kanserle Dans NGO Istanbul, Turkey; Senior Production Manager for ASICS and US Angels Clothing lines New York, USA; Member of Board Of Directors of Rotary Club of New York #6. After studying 6 Years in Private French High School Notre Dame de Sion, she graduated from Beloit High School in Kansas, USA as a Rotary Exchange Student. She finished University with Economics degree in Istanbul, and finished her MBA in Marketing in Long Island University, USA.

After losing her father to Pancreatic Cancer in January 2012, she founded a blog and a Facebook page with her high school friend Ebru Tontas in April 2012. Kanserle Dans formed in New York, February 2013 and as Non- Profit Organization in Istanbul, May 2013. Today, its Facebook page itself alone reaches average of 1,000,000 Turkish speaking patients and their families each month.

Esra lives in New York with her two daughters and travels extensively to Turkey, and to Europe for International Conferences and Events as well as for Kanserle Dans Volunteering and to China for her full time job. She is also very active as Rotarian and volunteers for other local Cancer Organizations. She recently became a “runner for a cause” to raise awareness to cancer and to campaign for her own Non For Profit, as well as other organizations.