Click here to view photos from the trip on Facebook February 4, 2014 - Mayor Rogero this morning met with reporters in her office to talk about what she saw and heard while visiting Turkey last week at the invitation of the State Department.

The Mayor visited such cities as Izmir, Adana and Ankara and met with the mayors of Adana, Bornova and Aydin, members of Parliament who serve on a committee on gender equality and opportunity, and other officials and civic groups. Mayor Rogero was invited to tour Turkey and talk about the importance of women participating in politics and public life, prior to Turkey's municipal elections on March 31st.


She shared with her Turkish audiences her personal experiences in Knoxville - as a candidate who worked hard at the grassroots level to win elections, then lost her first run for mayor, then ran again and won to become Knoxville's first female mayor.

The Mayor called the trip "unbelievable and whirlwind." She said she was impressed that so many men and women came out to meet with her and shared an enthusiasm for Turkey becoming politically more reflective of its population.

Her advice to women running in Turkey: Go campaign where people are, knock on doors, and embrace social media to get the political message out.

And be willing to take a risk, Mayor Rogero told potential Turkish candidates: "You have to be willing to run, and that means you have to be willing to lose. But the process will bring value to the political parties and to the governing structure."