Rüstem Keleş

After graduating from Istanbul Technical University, Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1985, he completed his master's degree in Sociology and PhD in Labour Economics at Sakarya University. Keleş, who has been a faculty member at the same university for 14 years, has carried out academic publications and studies in different disciplines. He integrated his theoretical knowledge with management practices by finding the opportunity to apply his theoretical views developed in scientific publications during his duties as Secretary General of Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality and General Manager of Water and Sewerage Administration (SASKİ) between 2005-2019. He has implemented many important projects such as the Hydroelectric Power Plant (ADASU HEPP) with an installed capacity of 9.6 MW on the Sakarya River and Akçay Dam and Current HEPPs (11.2 mW), which were implemented by a municipality for the first time in Turkey. He took an active role in many of the national and international activities of the Union of Municipalities of Turkey and contributed to the establishment of the Municipal Academy and International Water Training Centre. Keleş, who has been the Secretary General of Kahramanmaraş Metropolitan Municipality since 2019, has coordinated the institutional reorganisation, field needs analysis, prioritisation and integration of projects, urban transformation, restoration of historical texture, new zoning plans. He has carried out pioneering works such as Cultural Development Action Plan, Digital Culture Inventory, UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Kahramanmaraş's Application Process in the Field of Poetry and Literature, International Poetry and Literature Days in Kahramanmaraş, a city of literature.