Aysegul Timur, Ph.D., was selected to become Florida Gulf Coast University's fifth president on May 4, 2023, following a unanimous endorsement from the FGCU Board of Trustees. Her presidency was confirmed by the Florida Board of Governors on June 22, 2023.

Timur, an economist by training, is a Naples resident with more than 24 years of experience in higher education.

In her most recent role, Timur served as Vice President and Vice Provost for Strategy and Program Innovation at FGCU, where she has worked since 2019.

Timur is widely known for building collaborative teams of university and community stakeholders to implement strategic initiatives, including workforce alignments. This includes launching FGCU’s micro-credentialing and digital badges initiative, which enhance the rigor of existing academic programs while being responsive to the ever-changing needs of the business community.

Timur also led the efforts for FGCU to receive a historic $22.9 million grant through the U.S. Department of Commerce — Economic Development Administration’s Good Jobs Challenge Grant to amplify workforce development efforts in Southwest Florida.

Prior to joining FGCU, Timur worked for Hodges University, where she progressively took on larger leadership roles. She started off as a teaching assistant in 1999 and steadily scaled the academic ranks to become a full professor of economics in 2009. She soon took on additional administrative roles, ultimately becoming Dean of the Johnson School of Business in 2014 and the Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs in 2017.

Timur’s selection as FGCU’s next leader is historic, as she is the first woman and immigrant selected to lead the university.

Originally from Turkey, Timur is a first-generation college student who made the cross-continental move to Naples 25 years ago. She quickly learned English and, within the next four years, earned a doctorate from the University of South Florida. Prior to moving to the U.S., she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from the University of Istanbul.

Timur raised her two children with husband, Mete, in the Southwest Florida community. While furthering her career in higher education, she also embedded herself in the regional community, performing civic service and taking on additional leadership roles.

Today, Timur is chair of the Collaboratory Board of Trustees, a member of the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Board of Trustees, a member of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors, immediate past chair of the Leadership Collier Foundation Advisory Council, and a member of the International Women’s Forum’s Florida Suncoast Board of Directors.