_PNG.png)
Our Team
Alangoya Tezel
Director of Operations
As a Turkish-American woman, the mission of the POWER Project is close to Alangoya's heart. In 2019, Alangoya accepted a Fulbright fellowship to teach English at the Azerbaijan Tourism and Management University. Today, in addition to her board position at the POWER Project, Alangoya is a gender equity researcher and medical school student at the University of Michigan.
Sara Kouchehbagh
Director of Program
Sara started the POWER Project with a vision and drive to improve access to educational and professional resources in Azerbaijan. Sara was a Fulbright Fellow in Baku, Azerbaijan at the University of Languages. She has previously worked for institutions including the United Nations and Al Jazeera English, and conducted her MS thesis research as an international fellow at the University of London SOAS. She is dedicated to supporting women's empowerment, international education, and public diplomacy.
Grace Burris
Director of Community Relations
After working at American Councils for International Education in Baku for over two years, Grace has seen the importance of the relationship between women and education empowerment in Azerbaijan. In conjunction with her board position for the POWER project, Grace currently works as the Turkish Flagship Overseas Program Resident Director.
Gunay Hajili
Communications Consultant
As an English language instructor, Gunay has always envisioned herself in the education field as a contributor to education in Azerbaijan. This passion pushed her to pursue a master’s degree in Education Management at ADA University in Baku, Azerbaijan. She has previously worked in Qafqaz University and interned at the U.S. Embassy in Baku. Gunay is delighted to be a part of such an incredible project aiming to empower Azerbaijani women.
Nuray Mammadzada
Communications Consultant
Nuray is an economics student at Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University. She is a FLEX Program alumna, and spent the 2017-2018 academic year in Carthage, New York. Along with her interest in economics, Nuray is very passionate about international relations, diplomacy, public affairs and public administration. A former Public Affairs intern at the U.S. Embassy in Baku, Nuray is now a FLEX Alumni Coordinator at American Councils for International Education in Azerbaijan.
Alla Savelieva
Education Consultant
Alla started her career as an English teacher in Eastern Siberia. Education has always been a source of empowerment for her. In 2010, Alla became a Fulbright Russian Language Assistant at Wheaton College, Massachusetts. Later, she moved to Azerbaijan to study international affairs and continue teaching English. Alla is currently a senior lecturer at ADA University in Baku. She teaches academic writing and information literacy to freshman students and manages the university Writing Center.
Caroline Kirby
Social Media and Marketing Consultant
Caroline is an experienced, TEFL certified ESL instructor and writer with an academic background in Political Science and Government. She has taught English in the United States and Chile and has worked in copywriting, social media management, and content creation online for US businesses. Caroline currently lives in Hawaii and is passionate about women’s rights, social issues, and politics, and she is fluent in English and Spanish.