Esma Kurtlu is the Events Coordinator at the Independent Institute. She previously worked in public relations, supporting public affairs campaigns for government agencies. She held outreach roles in both governmental and nonprofit organizations, including the City of Houston Mayor’s Office and the Leadership Institute in Washington, D.C. She earned her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in French Language from the University of Houston and studied French at L’Université Catholique de l’Ouest in Angers, France.