●Winner of 2017 Oslo Business for Peace Award (together with Elon Musk), Awarded by the Award Committee of Nobel Laureates in Peace and Economics
●Among less than 20 individuals to be awarded the Thomas Jefferson Initiated “Peace Through Commerce Medal” by the U.S. Government since its inception in 1790 and the only person in history to have been awarded both the Oslo Business for Peace Award and the Peace Through Commerce Medal.
●President, Allelon Energy Partners and former President of Sithe Global Pacific (Sithe Global is owned by the Blackstone Group)
●Visiting Scholar, Jinan University
●President, the American Chamber of Commerce in South China
●Former Chairman of Montgomery College and State Chairman of the Maryland Association of Community College Trustees representing all seventeen colleges in the State.
●Former Member of the Board of Directors of the Kennedy Institute by appointment of Cardinal James A. Hickey.
●Together with Secretary of State of Cambodia Knighted under the Philippine act of Parliament 646 joining Dr. Henry Kissinger and King Carlos of Spain and others previously knighted.
●Together with the Philippines Secretary of Health, Dr. Francisco T. Duque, III, became a Sino-Philippine Asia International Peace Laureate for “his dynamic contributions to humanity”

Erika D. Beck began her tenure as President of California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) in August 2016. Prior to her appointment she served as Provost and Executive Vice President at Nevada State College.
President Beck is dedicated to furthering CSUCI’s vision of becoming recognized nationally as a leader in providing equitable, affordable, and transformative education that enables social and economic mobility for its diverse student population.
She is also deeply committed to the community and sits on the Ventura P-20 Council and the Santa Barbara Zoo Board of Directors. She is an honorary board member of the Gold Coast Veterans Foundation.
A native Californian, President Beck holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego; an M.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University; and a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of California, San Diego where she also served as a faculty fellow. A former research associate at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, she has conducted research in the areas of developmental psychopathology and cognitive neuroscience. In addition to her formal education, she is actively engaged in the national dialogue regarding inclusive excellence and the use of data to improve student learning outcomes.
She was selected as a Woman of the Year by the California Women's Caucus, one of the Top 50 Women in Business by the Pacific Coast Business Times, a Woman of Distinction in Education by the National Association of Women in Business Leaders, and as a Top Female Business Leader in Education by the Las Vegas Business Press.
A devoted mother of two young boys, President Beck enjoys running, yoga, and perpetual conversations with her children about how many more minutes until “we get there.”

Dr. Osman Özturgut is the Dean of Extended University and Associate Vice President for International Programs at California State University-Channel Islands (CSUCI). He is responsible for providing chief administrative oversight to all self-support academic programs and responsible for broad academic affairs and university-wide initiatives including leadership of international programs. Prior to arriving at CSUCI, Dr. Özturgut was the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in San Antonio, Texas. At UIW, he provided leadership in policy development, support for implementation and assessment of policies related to research and graduate education, including masters, doctoral, and professional programs.
Dr. Özturgut served on multiple local, national, and international committees over the years. He was a member of the Head Start Policy Council – overseeing the budget and programming for the 48 Million Dollars for the Head Start Program, Affirmative Action Advisory Council, and a commissioner for the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Commission, overseeing 187 construction and other development projects throughout the Bexar County in Texas. Dr. Özturgut’s current research focuses on cultural competency across multiple disciplines. He taught courses in entrepreneurship, program evaluation, cultural competency, international communication, and research methods. He has numerous publications and presentations in the field of education, cultural competency, international development, and leadership.
Outside the academia, as a seasoned professional, Dr. Özturgut has also been involved in different business ventures and start-ups throughout the years. He worked as a manager of a hotel and developed and maintained export-import businesses in Middle East and Asia.