Second Annual Convention of the Turkic American Alliance (TAA) took place on Wednesday, November 30th 2011 from 9:00 am to 8:30 pm at the Grand Hyatt Washington Hotel in Washington D.C.

In collaboration with TUSKON (Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkey) and TAA Member Federations, this year’s convention titled “New Challenges and Opportunities” feature academic panels, art exhibits and a gala reception.

Confirmed speakers include Dr. Kemal Derviş (Vice President and Director of Global Economy and Development-Brookings Institution), Rep. Robert Wexler (President - the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace), Amb. James Holmes (President- American Turkish Council), and Dr. James J. Zogby (President-Arab American Institute).

Exhibitions from Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Balkans, including a water marbling and a china painting demonstration, were on display. 20th year of independence of Turkic Republics in Central Asia and the Caucasus were commemorated at Gala Reception. Last year TAA’s Gala Reception held at Willard InterContinental Hotel and attracted 700 distinguished guests including 7 US Senators, more than 50 members of Congress, parliamentarians from Turkey and diplomatic corps.

The Turkic American Alliance (TAA) is a non-profit organization established in 2010 to foster and promote socio-cultural contributions of Turkic-descent communities in the US. TAA serves as an umbrella for six regional federations with more than 200 member institutions. For more on TAA and convention registration please visit their website at http://www.turkicamericanalliance.org