Kaya Tuncer, a well-known Turkish-American businessman, is the founder and Chairman of ESBAS, the company which develops and manages the Aegean Free Zone, Turkey’s leading industrial park. The Zone currently employs nearly 14,000 people and has plans to grow to 25,000. Mr. Tuncer is the founder of Space Camp Turkey and personally provides scholarships to enable interested students to attend the Camp.

Mr. Tuncer has worked with major construction, architectural, and engineering companies including Bechtel Corporation, Daniel, Mann, Johnson and Mendenhall, as well as with consulting and real estate development firms.

Mr. Tuncer has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley, and an MBA from the University of Southern California and holds licenses in Civil Engineering and Structural Engineering in the State of California.  His awards include:

• 1990 Alumni Achievement Award from Rancho Santiago College in Santa Ana, California.
• American Turkish Council’s 1999 award “Top Businessman of The Year” in Turkey.
• Association of Turkish-American Scientists 2002 award for the “Advancement of Education” in Turkey honoring his founding of Space Camp Turkey.
• 2003 “Turkish-American of the Year” award by the Turkish-American Association of Southern California.
• Ellis Island Medal of Honor, May 15, 2004.
• FDI Magazine’s award “Personality of the Year”, 2005.

Kaya has been married to Mary Mills Tuncer since 1963; they have two married daughters who live in Northern California. He divides his time between Izmir, Turkey, and Pacific Palisades and Lake Tahoe in California.

Mary Mills Tuncer plays an active role in the management of Space Camp Turkey, as well as overseeing the Child Care Center at the Aegean Free Zone. She also edits all English language publications. Mary taught French and social studies at the junior high school level and worked as a graduate admissions evaluator at USC. An active member of the community, she has volunteered for community and civic activities including co-operative preschool, parent-teacher associations and various women’s groups.

Mrs. Tuncer completed her undergraduate studies at Dickinson College, Pennsylvania, the University of Grenoble, France, and UC Berkeley, where she received a B.A. degree in French and a post-graduate secondary teaching credential.

Larry S. Hymes, Board Member

Larry S. Hymes, Esq. was admitted to practice law in the state of California in 1977. He is admitted to practice before the United States Tax Court, United States Claims Court, United States District Court for the Central District of California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Hymes has presided as a Judge Pro Tem for the Los Angeles Superior Court since 1993 and has acted as a Probate Volunteer Panel Appointed Counsel since 1993.

Mr. Hymes is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles (Bachelor of Arts; 1974), and the University of San Diego (Juris Doctor; 1977 and LLM in Taxation; 1980). He is a member of the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles County and American Bar Associations and is a Member of the Business Law and Taxation section of the State Bar of California. Mr. Hymes' primary practice areas are in Trusts and Estates, Corporate Law, Business Law, Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures, Leases and Leasing, Commercial Real Estate, and Probate. In addition, he is general counsel to the Continuing Education of the Bar division of the State Bar of California. He is married with two children.