Felege Hiywot Board

Chris Larson is the Farms Manager for Paramount Schools of Excellence; a K-8 Charter School organization in Indianapolis. Chris oversees farming operations at the two Near-Eastside campus farms as well as maintaining the relationship with the academic environment. Chris has a background in elementary education, teaching for almost 10 years in Asheville, North Carolina before moving to Indianapolis with his family in 2015.

A vibrant visionary focused on community reinvestment and being a socially responsible leader. Currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director of Martindale Brightwood community Development Corporation, and founder of Kyebi Community Dev. Corp. supporting Ghana, West Africa. As a developer works collaboratively with other mission-driven entities to revitalize communities from the inside out.
Developed the first affordable housing in Brightwood in over 20 years (6 townhomes). Strategically building for economic expansion and sustainability, initiated and successfully worked with the resident leaders and the City of Indianapolis to establish a Housing Tax Increment Fund in Martindale Brightwood, and she introduced and led neighborhood representatives in the selection process for a diverse “Developer of Choice” to increase MBCDC’s ability to partner and bid on large development projects.
Prior worked includes 6 years as an executive at Fifth Third Bank in the Community and Economic Development space. During her last two years at the bank’s headquarter office, she worked to deploy fuds across the bank’s 10 state footprint to support small business development. Completed Harvard University-Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Certification. Member of the Indianapolis Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; member of Habitat for Humanity’s CHDO Board and serves on Citizens Energy Group Stakeholder Alliance Committee. Amina completed the Real Estate Diversity Initiative program in 2020 and continues to be a member of the Urban Land Institutes Women’s Initiative Group, and also serves on the Community Advisory Board for Old National Bank. Amina Pierson is creating legacy with her three adult daughters, and many other young women and men that she has the honor to encourage.

Chris Rothenberger

Nicole Chase works on global health and corporate responsibility initiatives at Eli Lilly and Company. Nicole is from Wabash, Indiana and received her communications degree from DePauw University before joining Lilly in 2001. She has experience in sales, marketing, Six Sigma process improvement, and most recently in corporate affairs on the social impact team. Nicole and her husband, Kip, reside in Indianapolis with their three sons.

John Huter

Gene Ford is the National Public Relations Director for Ascension, one of the nation’s leading non-profit and Catholic health systems. In his role, Ford leads a team of more than 20 public relations professionals in markets across the U.S., oversees multiple national agency relationships, and is responsible for national, regional and local thought leadership, reputation management, service line growth and health system positioning. Previously, Ford spent 19 years handling media relations for Indiana’s two largest health systems. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State University.