Felica Ahasteen-Bryant is the Director of the Native American Educational and Cultural Center (NAECC) at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Since 2009, Ahasteen-Bryant continues to provide leadership for the Purdue Native American community by directing the development and implementation of cultural programs and events focused on Indigenous cultures and fostering an inclusive and diverse learning environment for students to excel academically on Indigenous cultures and culturally. The NAECC serves as a resource to Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students, faculty, staff, and individuals from the West Lafayette and Lafayette community for the purpose of understanding, appreciating, and celebrating Indigenous cultures. The Center is under the Division of Diversity and Inclusion in the Office of the Provost and serves as “second home” for Purdue students.
In August 2018, Ahasteen-Bryant was appointed to the Interim Director of the Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center (AAARCC) at Purdue University. She is responsible for the daily operations of the Center and works with Purdue faculty and staff to support the Asian American and international Asian Campus community.
A native New Mexican, Ahasteen-Bryant was raised on the Navajo reservation in Tohatchi, New Mexico and is a proud member of the Dine’ (Navajo) Nation. She maintains a close connection to her family and honors the tradition of identifying her clans, she is Naashashi’ (Bear Enemy clan) and born for the Kinyaa’aanii (Towering House People).
Ahasteen-Bryant received her bachelor’s degree from New Mexico State University and her master’s degree from Indiana University. She resides in Westfield, Indiana with her family.