Ece Yılmaz Johanning serves as a Social Sustainability Researcher. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English Language Teaching from Boğaziçi University. She then completed two master’s degrees at Middle East Technical University, one in Gender and Women’s Studies and the other in Educational Administration and Planning. Between 2020 and 2024, she pursued her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development at North Carolina State University as a Fulbright Scholar.

Before joining Özyeğin University, she worked in the United States as a Research Associate and Senior Research Associate at the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research. In this role, she led equity- and social impact–oriented research and evaluation processes in federally and philanthropically-funded projects aimed at expanding access to higher education and workforce development. As part of these projects, she developed collaborations with higher education institutions, conducted field research, and produced actionable recommendations for institutional leadership teams.