Meet Our Staff Members

Katherine Lesch, Co-CEO was AFEA's first employee and has worked for nearly a decade with her Co-CEO, Kaeleen Bruce, to develop and implement every role, process, and procedure of the organization. She brings a strong passion for creating and maintaining each relationship she forms through AFEA and is always eager to meet a qualified agent or advisor and share her passion for AFEA with them. She studied at both North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC and King's College in Charlotte. She has previous experience in the marketing field as well as the customer service arena. Outside of work she can most often be found accompanied by childhood friend, fellow Charlotte native, and husband Adam, with their two sons, Landon and Cooper. Katherine loves painting, just about any movie released prior to 1975, and spends her weekend self-renovating their home with her husband, Adam. 

Kaeleen Bruce, Co-CEO has been working with AFEA for nearly a decade and helped make it what it is today alongside Co-CEO and partner, Katherine Lesch. Kaeleen is a graduate of Kings College where she earned her degree in Business and Office Administration. She brings a strong passion for customer service, structure, and problem solving to AFEA, and believes that her work is not done until her customers are satisfied. Although she is from High Point, NC she now calls Concord, NC home. Outside of work she can be found accompanied by her husband, Casey, and their children, Hudson and Sutton, along with their dog, Payton. In her spare time, Kaeleen enjoys being with family and friends, reading thriller or romantic novels, watching funny movies, or sitting in the sunshine near any body of water.

Holly joined the AFEA team in 2016 as an Academic Coordinator and excelled in her role as a resource to Chapter Presidents nationwide, helping them schedule their workshops and prepare for success, each step of the way. Serving in this role for over 3 years helped shape her ability to smoothly transition into Chapter Development, creating value and solutions to advisors in the industry looking to increase their outreach in their communities through financial education. She brings strong interpersonal and communication skills to the table, allowing her to easily create relationships with financial professionals interested in joining our alliance. Having been with AFEA for over 7 years, Holly has assisted with every department and now leads her own as the Executive Director of Chapter Development.

Holly was born and raised in South Carolina, but currently resides in Charlotte, NC, which she refers to as her new home. Outside of work, she enjoys discovering new music, singing, going to as many concerts as she can, playing video games, traveling, and cuddling up at home with her fur babies, Luna & Astro. 

Teri came to AFEA from a prior position as an Event Coordinator where she supported top nationally recognized real estate agents and instructors across the country. Her skill set makes providing excellent customer/client service second nature for her. She has a strong passion for professionalism and brings strong interpersonal and communication skills to her current position as an Academic Coordinator. This has allowed her to easily create relationships with financial professionals across the country that are interested in joining our alliance. Teri was born in Massachusetts but now has lived in Charlotte for almost 20 years. In her free time Teri enjoys watching football, traveling and being at the beach with friends and family.