Avukat Fazilet Demirezen

•    Each recipient has made a commitment to the Turkish American and/or International Turkish      way of life
•    Has contributed in some outstanding way to her community
•    Exemplifies excellence

•    Ulku Adatepe, Turkey
•    Cigdem Acar, New York
•    Esin Akalin, Toronto, Canada
•    Esen Akpek, Maryland
•    HRH Queen Rania Al-Abdullah, Jordan
•    Sevda Aleckson, California
•    Nazmiye Angunes, Florida
•    Mutlu Atagun, Maryland
•    Victoria Barrett, West Virginia
•    Nilgun Bici, Florida
•    Meltem Buyukonat, California
•    Sila Cansever, Massachusetts
•    Nuket Cehreli, California
•    Gul Celkan, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
•    Semahat Demir, Tennessee
•    Fazilet Demirezen, Turkey
•    Hayriye Eser, New York
•    Huma Gruaz, Illinois
•    Serife Hathaway, Rhode Island
•    Engin Holmstrom, Virginia
•    Binnur Karaevli, California
•    Sheila Kaufman, Washington, DC
•    Feryal Kaya, Illinois
•    Leyla Kizilirmak, Toronto, Canada
•    Tahire Kocturk, Sweden
•    Ayhan Lash, Illinois
•    Fevziye Manizade, Maryland
•    Kenize Mourad, France
•    Hilal Nakiboglu, Philadelphia
•    Munevver Ozdil, New York
•    Feryal Ozel, New Jersey
•    Hilkat Ozgun, Melbourne, Australia
•    Nalan Ozisik-Gungor, California
•    Feriha Resitoglu, Melbourne, Australia
•    Ozge Saritosun, Pennsylvania
•    Jehan Sadat, Maryland
•    Aysan Sev’er, Ontario, Canada
•    Emel Singer, Illinois
•    Gunay Smith, Virginia
•    Eser Turan, California
•    Engin Turkalp, Hawaii
•    Zeynep Ucbasaran, California
•    The Late Donna Van Slyke, California

Fazilet Demirezen
Winner of the 2003 Women of Distinction Award

Fazilet Demirezen was born in Kandira, Izmit on March 5, 1950. She graduated from the University of Istanbul, Faculty of Law, in 1972. She has since been working as a lawyer, concentrating on all fields of law, but mostly family law and law of inheritance. She worked in the Association of Social Solidarity and Assistance for 5 years. Their mission there was to bring in psychologists specialized in pedagogy in order to help educate women in the way they are treating the children. They would also bring doctors to talk about family planning in low-income neighborhoods, organize educational seminars in the municipal buildings to teach women how to make hygiene foods , the importance of hygiene, and tell them that they needed to allow their daughters to have education. She was selected to the board of directors of the Association later on and she served as the vice president for 18 years. She made efforts to provide many families with clothing, food, fuel and students with scholarships. She has been the vice president for Yucel Old Age Asylum Association of Preservation and Revival for 3 years.

The women jurists’ web all over Turkey, Turkish Bar Association Women Jurists Commission TÜBAKKOM was founded in 1999. She was representing the Karabük Bar.She was assigned the job of TÜBAKKOM presidency of Karadeniz Region in the first meeting held. She worked for establishing TÜBAKKOM in 16 bars that functioned under her. She was awarded with a crystal statuette of Ataturk in the general assembly because of her efficient efforts that led to the establishment of 13 TÜBAKKOMs in the first year. She is the first person to have ever received this award and she feels very proud and honored to have it.