BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Harmony Public Schools’ parent company, The Cosmos Foundation, is a non-profit organization and members of its Board of Directors, all unpaid volunteers, come from varied backgrounds in academia, law, science and mathematics but share a common passion for education. The Board also solicits input and insight from various individuals and business community members in the Houston area.
Board nominations can be made by anyone - existing Board members, Harmony school employees, parents of Harmony students, Harmony alumni, and the general public. The existing Board of Directors reviews the qualifications of nominees, seeking individuals who have expertise, experience or leadership abilities that will contribute to maintaining a continued standard of excellence for Harmony Public Schools and their students. Once each year, the existing Board of Directors votes on nominations to replace members whose terms have expired or who have left the Board for other reasons.
Leadership Biographies
Dr. Oner Ulvi Celepcikay: Dr. Celepcikay currently serves as President of the Board of Directors. He received his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Istanbul University in Istanbul, Turkey, and his master’s and doctorate degrees in Computer Science from the University of Houston.
Dr. Celepcikay serves on the faculty at the University of Phoenix Computer Science Department and is a published researcher in several fields, including cluster analysis, multivariate statistical analysis, regional regression analysis and spatial data mining. He worked at the University of Houston in the Educational Technology Outreach Department from 2000 to 2007, and is a member of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers, the world’s largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence.
Mrs. Ellen MacDonald: Mrs. Ellen MacDonald currently serves as the vice president of the board of directors of Harmony Public Schools. Harmony Public Schools are high performing K-12 public charter schools in Texas that focus on math, science, engineering, and computer technologies to provide opportunities for underserved communities.
Mrs. MacDonald is the Executive Director/CEO of the Senior Guidance Directory. It is a Caregiving Handbook, available free to elders and their caregivers and it provides a comprehensive listing of resources and services that can help improve the lives of seniors and their caregivers as they strive to resolve their health, lifestyle and safety issues.
She has also previously served as program manager for care consultation and support groups at the Houston and Southeast Texas Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association and as Vice President for Health Services at Sheltering Arms Senior Services in Houston.
In 1999, Mrs. MacDonald retired from the University of Texas at Houston, School of Nursing, where she served in a number of important roles, including Division Head for Gerontology in the Department of Systems and Technology at the UT-Houston School of Nursing, and Associate Director for Community Affairs and Operations at the UT-Houston Center on Aging.
Mrs. MacDonald received her bachelor’s degree in History from Houghton College and her master’s in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University.
Mr. Cengizhan Keskin: Mr. Keskin serves as a Vice President of the Board of Directors. Keskin received a Master of Engineering degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tulsa where he also worked as a research assistant for the University of Tulsa Fluid Flow Projects. Keskin also has a Master of Science degree from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey and received his bachelor’s degree in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering from the same university.
Mr. Keskin is a petroleum engineer and senior flow assurance consultant for SPT Group, a global provider of technology solutions and personnel for the oil production industry. Prior to SPT, Mr. Keskin worked as a flow assurance specialist at Schlumberger Technology Corporation in Houston. Mr. Keskin is active in the academic community, serving as a judge for the science and engineering portions of several Texas middle and high school science fairs.
Dr. Mustafa A. Atik: Dr. Atik serves as the Treasurer of the Board of Directors.
He received his undergraduate degree from Hacettepe University School of Medicine in Ankara, Turkey, and completed his residency in the field of Pulmonary Medicine.
Dr. Atik is an Instructor of Medicine in the Pulmonary Section of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, and has been a medical researcher at Baylor since 2005. He has published numerous research articles on pulmonary medicine..
Dr. Bilal Akin: Dr. Akin serves as the Secretary of the Board of Directors. Dr. Akin received his doctorate in Electrical Engineering at Texas A&M University in 2007. He also received his undergraduate and master degrees from Middle East Technical University, Turkey in 2000 and 2003 respectively.
He is currently working at Texas Instruments Inc. as Systems and Applications Engineer. He is widely recognized for his pioneering contributions to the power electronics field, and is frequently cited by other researchers, having has published more than forty articles with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the world’s largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation. He is also a named inventor on a patents issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Dr. Soner Tarim: Dr. Tarim serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Superintendent of Harmony Public Schools. Visit Dr. Soner Tarim's page for more information.
