Felege Hiywot Staff
Aster Bekele
Aster Bekele is the Founder and CEO at FHC. Ms. Aster has been working with programs in the Martindale-Brightwood community since 2004 when she created the Center. She emigrated to Indianapolis from Ethiopia and brought with her a sense of community and love of service. A retired chemist, Aster started the Youth Farm Initiative, established a food production space to give to the community, and continues to engage partners from across the city. Her focus is on youth farming, care of orphans and cultural expression.
Kyla Jefferson
Kyla Jefferson is the Program Operations Manager for FHC. She was born and raised in Indianapolis in the Martindale-Brightwood area. She graduated from Broad Ripple Magnet High School for the Performing Arts and went on to earn her Bachelor’s in Tourism, Conventions, and Event Management from IUPUI, with a certificate in Business Foundations from the Kelley School of Business. She has been involved in non profit work since volunteering as a Student Campus Ambassador at IUPUI for United Way. She states that non profit work is “the heart of a community and a direct lifeline to marginalized communities and individuals”.
She is a mom of 2 boys and is married to her high school sweetheart. She enjoys traveling, drinking tea, reading, and singing loudly in the shower. She is also a small business owner, having created a bath and body care line, Peaceful Pixie, in 2021.
Michael Lee
Mike Lee is the Founder and CEO of Agile Management and Project Manager for FHC. He has over 10 years of experience creating and managing projects successfully. He is a multifaceted talent as an author, entrepreneur, musician, and producer. He enjoys using Scrum and Project Management in all his personal goals and projects he oversees.
Sarah Peterson
Sarah Peterson is the Communications Manager for FHC. Sarah has worked in communications and external relations for nonprofits across the country for over a decade. At FHC, she helps coordinate the newsletters and social media so that more people can be introduced to the work of the Center.