Aaron Lifford, Board Chair

Sponsorship & Advertising Specialist, National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies; Vice President & Co-Founder, Prodigy Uniform Company

Aaron is a racer at heart, and fell in love with the sport of cycling after getting involved with the Do INdiana Off-road (DINO) Mountain Bike Racing Series.  He has competed in hundreds of organized races and rides, ranging from a 12-hour mountain bike race to riding my road bike across the entire state of Indiana in less than a day.  Aaron is a member of the Matthews Bikes Mountain Bike Team, and he is active in mountain bike trail building projects in Central Indiana.

Aaron currently works for an insurance trade association and also own and operate a small e-commerce uniform company in his spare time.  Through serving on the Freewheelin’ Community Bikes board, he hopes to share his love of cycling with the next generation, while utilizing his talents to help enhance the mission of community and youth engagement centered around bikes.   When Aaron is not engaged in something cycling related (which isn’t very often!), he also volunteers at the Humane Society of Indianapolis where his wife, Jessica, works.

Alison Cole, Vice Chair

Community and Workforce Development Consultant

Alison has over 25-years of experience in community and workforce development working for a variety of public and not for profit organizations organization.  She currently works for herself, providing consulting services to public, not for profit and for profit organizations that are dedicated to the empowerment of families and communities.  Alison has also served as a director on the board of five (5) not for profit organizations, holding leadership positions at a two. 

When Alison attended a friendraiser event for Freewheelin’ a few years back, she immediately fell in love with the organization because of the “purity of its mission”.  It is all about the Bicycle.  With a Freewheelin’ bicycle, a kid learns responsibility, a kid gains a sense of accomplishment, a kid learns about how to run a business, a kid learns how to give back and, with a Freewheelin’ bike, a kid has a chance to have fun and be a KID.   

While Alison has loved bike riding since she was kid, Freewheelin’  has challenged her to “pedal up” her game and become a true bicyclist. 

Lesley Gordon

Media and Community Outreach Manager, State Fair Commission

Leslie's personal and professional life is surrounded and driven by her love for people. As spokesperson for the Department of Public Works with the City of Indianapolis for the past 2 years, she has been given an unforgettable glimpse into how the city operates and introduced to several service organizations.

Bicycle advocacy and recreational biking quickly grew to be a deep passion for Leslie and her husband, Colin. They are recently married and enjoy getting our friends together for bike rides around the city as much as they can.  They both went to Indiana University and are very proud to be Hoosiers.

Leslie was born and raised in Indianapolis, and she finds that growth in the bicycling community can add such an important sense of community and fun to so many lives.  She wanted to get involved and do her part to help continue that growth. It is often said our youth hold the key to our future and Freewheelin’ captures that mentality from the ground up. Once Leslie was introduced to the organization she immediately was drawn to the way Freewheelin' engages kids and develop skills they can use well into their adult life. As a board member, Leslie strives to use her skills in communications to help broaden the organizations reach and encourage more people in the community to understand the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle.

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Michael Goldenberg, External Affairs Committee Chair

Director, Regulatory Strategy and Collaboration, Duke Energy

As a donor of many bikes for years, Michael has been supporting Freewheelin' when it was located in the basement at Tab.  He did not even know the name of the organization back then, however, he liked that the bikes his kids grew out of were going to a good cause.  When Michael started volunteering for the Indy Crit, he learned that it was connected with Freewheelin’, and he offered to help out where he could. Freewheelin’ provides our youth opportunities to learn life lessons, the joy of being healthy and to be the proud owner of one’s first wheels.  Growing up in the Bronx, Michael has great memories of the independence a bicycle provided.  He was able to avoid the bus and subway, get out with friends and explore so much of New York City. Indianapolis has been home for over 35 years and his family has benefited from the wonderful evolution of the city.  Michael began working at Public Service Indiana and has grown with the company as it merged into Duke Energy.  His volunteering  over the years has included cross country coach, Mozel Sanders cook, Habitat builder, Labrador Retriever rescuer and many jobs at NCAA events.   Being able to work with our youth, take part in rides around Indiana and enjoy the spectacle of bike racing is what makes Freewheelin’ such a special organization.  He is fortunate to have a role in supporting and expanding its mission and vision. 

Chuck Okenfuss, Internal Affairs Committe Chair

Consultant Engineer-Development | Eli Lilly and Company

Chuck is a lifelong cyclist, from banana seats and high rise handlebars in the 60’s and 70’s to commuter bike, carbon road bikes, mountain bikes and TT / Triathlon bikes today.  His family had no choice but to join me in the cycling passion; they all ride regularly.  Chuck first got involved in working with youth through coaching his sons in youth sports and by being a leader in Boy Scouts.  As his kids got older and needed less of my time, he met Nancy Stimson.  She convinced him to become involved with Freewheelin' to combine his passion for bicycles with my commitment to helping others.  Chuck has loved every minute since his first Earn A Bike session, when he was privileged to help a little girl fix up a bike that she brought with her from home.  Her bike was a disaster, but watching her smile as she realized that she was able to fix it herself was amazing.  When he am not volunteering, Chuck works as a development engineer at Eli Lilly on devices to improve the lives of people with Diabetes.  He looks to bring all those life skills to the Freewheelin' Board of Directors and help ensure that the organization remains a part of the community for years to come.

Damon Richards

Interim Executive Director | IndyCog

Damon is a native of Indianapolis, having grown up not far from Freewheelin’ Bikes. After graduating from college, he spent time in the United States Air Force working in space communications research and development. He returned to Indianapolis to raise a family. As the father of three adult children, he has witnessed the impact of extracurricular activities on child development.

Damon has worked with many not for profit organizations in a variety of capacities over the years. He coached middle and high school cross country. He still loves to run and, of course, ride his bikes. He recalls the freedom that cycling provided him as a child, and wants to share that freedom with others.

Damon holds degrees in electrical engineering and organizational design. He sold his interest in his business a few years ago and is pretending to be retired. He has been involved in youth development programs throughout his career as a small business owner. He and Susie, his wife of 33 years, are spending their empty-nester days in the near northside of Indianapolis.

Dr. Monroe Little

Associate Professor, Emeritus | IUPUI

Monroe's first encounter with Freewheelin’ Community Bikes was as a donor, when he was looking for an organization to donate his son’s bicycle that he rode as a youth.  His research led him to Freewheelin’--an unknown gem, at least to Monroe, in the neighborhood he has lived for the past thirty-five years.  Monroe found his first experience with the retail store staff to be quite pleasant.  That experience led him back to the website where he discovered that they were also seeking volunteers for their various youth initiatives.  It was no great leap for Monroe to volunteer and begin working with their Earn-A-Bike program.  Along the way, Monroe discovered that Freewheelin's former Executive Director, was a former student of his.  Surprise!  After working with its educational program for several months, he was asked to serve on its Board of Directors.

Monroe has worked in higher education at a number of colleges and universities ranging from M.I.T. to Indiana University  for nearly 40 years--primarily as a teacher--but also as an administrator.  He has also served on the boards of several non-profit organizations both locally and nationally.  Monroe is eager to contribute his expertise in civic engagement and community cooperation to assist Freewheelin’ Community Bikes in its mission by forging new and strengthening existing collaborations with other community groups and organizations in Indianapolis.

Kyra Riggins

Finance Director | Marion Co. Democrat Party

Kyra is a strong advocate of empowering youth and giving them the tools to be successful in life. She is a recreational bike rider and often enjoy taking bike rides with her family.  Kyra was recently introduced to Freewheelin’ Community Bikes when she moved back to Indianapolis after attending Howard University and graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine.  

Kyra's personal and professional life consists of working hard for the people of Indianapolis to make it a better place for generations to come.  She brings her enthusiasm and excitement to empower and help the youth by giving them all the tools to be successful.  Freewheelin’ is an amazing organization which aligns with not only her personal beliefs, but encourages the youth to get moving. Freewheelin' helps youth learn how to keep themselves active and healthy which ties into Kyra's undergraduate education.  She is proud to be part of an organization that strives to empower youth while making the city that she loves better each day.  

Jake Potter

HRIS Administrator | SMC Corporation of America

As a lifelong resident of Indianapolis and volunteer of various non-profits, Jake has witnessed firsthand the impact an organization such as Freewheelin' Community Bikes can have on a community. Jake and his wife moved to the Mapleton-Fall Creek neighborhood back in 2015. We recognized right away that Freewheelin' was an organization making an impact on the kids in our neighborhood. Once that was determined, he knew he had to get involved. 

Joining the Board of Directors in January 2017, Jake is one of the newest members. He brings with him about 5 years of HR, Project Management, and IT experience. He looks forward to helping propel Freewheelin' to the next level in the coming years.

Ashlee Fujawa

Ashlee Wilson Fujawa has called Indy home for more than 10 years. Active with many area nonprofits from a board positions with Freewheelin' and the Butler-Tarkington Neighborhood Association, to steadfast volunteering with WFYI and the Indianapolis Public Library.

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Professionally Ashlee has spent the majority of her career in nonprofit work focusing on strategic communications and implementing creative marketing solutions. She loves Indy and all the amazing things it has to offer.

Eric Nentrup

Director of K-12 Solutions, Eastern US | Alma - Modern tools for K-12

Every time Eric climbs on his bike, his optimism increases. No matter what happened during the day, a ride makes it all manageable. Eric is an avid cyclist though would ride more if time allowed.  He is eager to continue road cycling on more than a few centuries during the summer, while also returning to the mountain bike. Eric is certain it goes back to his childhood and keeps him young, but there is more to it. In other countries, the bicycle really is a path forward for many. From work to education, and even fetching food and water, it’s a vital invention for both young and old.

Professionally, Eric works in education representing an education technology company to public school districts around the country. Though he has left the classroom, he still sees his role as impacting young people and helping afford them unique opportunities. Freewheelin’ lets him combine two of his passions, and he is eager to help this organization grow, see more people fall in love with the bike, and watch the impact it has on our community.