Meet Your 2024-2025 Officers

Tasha Phelps - President

Becky Bechtel - 1st Vice President

Whitley Yates - Immediate Past President

  • President

    Tasha Phelps is a nationally-recognized authority on information technology and cyber security. As a current voting member of the Indiana Executive Council on Cyber Security, she takes the role seriously, as she is often engaged in conversations of matters that directly impact the citizens of the state of Indiana.

    As a result of her anti-terrorism cyber training with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Ms. Phelps has been called upon to support sophisticated security solutions for clients across the country. Though Ms. Phelps’ experience extends beyond managing IT and communications deployments, she is also a valued consultant, employing her unique perspective of experiences to drive innovation with public safety, systems architecture, and policy design.

    Ms. Phelps says that she dedicates significant time to civic engagement because she understands the impact of being involved. She is a member of the 2007 IBJ Forty Under 40 class, a graduate of the Stanley K Lacy Leadership Series, an Indiana Torchbearer recipient, and alumni of the FBI Citizens Academy. Recently, Ms. Phelps was appointed Precinct Committee Woman for WA062 to accompany the position she held as President of the Greater Indianapolis Republican Women’s Club (the first woman of color to hold this position).

  • 1st Vice President

    Becky Bechtel has served as a lifelong Republican and is a 2013 graduate of the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series. A former Vice President for the GIRWC, she currently serves as the Treasurer of the Indiana Federation of Republican Women. She is an elected Precinct Committeeman and Ward Chairman for Washington Township, where she has also served as Vice-Chairman. Becky has also served as an Elected State Delegate to the Republican State Convention since 2010. She has served on the campaigns of Senator Richard Lugar, Congresswoman Susan Brooks, State Senators Teresa Lubbers and John Ruckelshaus, Governors Mitch Daniels and Eric Holcomb, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller, and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin. As the Director of Central Indiana Operations for the John Kasich for President campaign, she personally obtained over 4,000 signatures in Indiana and Illinois to place Governor Kasich on the ballot. She is a 2018 Honoree for the Indiana Federation of Republican Women and was Precinct Committeeman of the Year in 2019 for Washington Township.

    Becky continues to work as a contractor for Hathaway Strategies. She has previously been an award-winning sales professional in the field of College Textbook Publishing, as well as a professor and coordinator of cooperative education in sales, marketing, and management at the college level. She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from The Ohio State University, as well as her Masters in Professional School Counseling degree from Butler University. She is also a licensed Indiana teacher.

    Becky lives in Indianapolis with her husband, Larry. They are the parents of two married daughters, Christina and Caroline, along with being grandparents to Simon. In her spare time, she sings in her church choir and is a member of the Indy Surviveoars Dragonboat Team.

  • Immediate Past President

    Whitley Yates is the Director of Diversity for the Indiana Republican Party and owner of The Niche Agency, LLC, a creative public relations and marketing firm in Indianapolis. A publicist by trade, she is a natural relationship builder. Working on Republican campaigns from California to Indiana, her political acumen is vast. In the private sector she spent time working with Fortune 500 companies to leading global brands as a creative consultant. Her passion lies in integrated advertising & communications campaigns across emerging channels. In working directly with clients and campaigns, she has developed strong relationships to deliver strategic content that resonates with diverse audiences. In 2020 Yates was recognized as a Rising Star by the Republican National Committee (RNC). Whitley lives in Indianapolis with her daughter Monroe Elizabeth and is an IU McKinney School of Law J.D. Candidate 2021, an alumnus of Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana Leadership Forum. Whitley is active in her community and a board member of the Indy Black Chamber of Commerce, Indianapolis American Marketing Association & Black Conservative Federation. She works diligently as a community organizer and is an active member of her church.

Rachel Birenbaum - 2nd Vice President

Van Sui - Secretary

  • 2nd Vice President

    Rachel is a recent graduate of Indiana University, who studied at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. She is currently a Districit Aide for the United States House of Representatives.

    Her past experience includes working for the Indianapolis team of Senator Todd Young's office as a spring intern.

  • Secretary

    Van Sui is the Governmental Affairs Liaison at Indiana State Housing and Community Development Authority. In her role, Van assists the offices of state elected officials with constituent issues in collaboration with the agency's executive team and department directors. Van also serves as the director of Fountain Children and Youth Center (FCYC), which she recently founded in collaboration with her local church to provide bible classes to children and youth of the Chin Community in Indianapolis.

    Van is an alumnus of the Richard G. Lugar Excellence in Public Service Series (2023-2024) and was recognized as a rising star by the Republican National Committee (RNC) in 2023.

    In addition, Van served as the board secretary of the Chin Community of the USA for the 2022-2023 term and was also the treasurer for Rev. Dr. Hre Mang’s School Board Campaign in the Chin Community in Indianapolis for the 2022 November election.

    Further, Van is an alumnus of the Forge Leadership Network (2020-2021). She has volunteered for various political campaigns and is currently an active member of her local church in Indianapolis.

    Van holds an undergraduate degree from Taylor University and a graduate degree from Lipscomb University. In 2013, Van resettled to Indiana as a refugee, and since then, she has made Indianapolis her home.

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