A leader with a vision to build community in Bemidji

When Bemidji leaders announced they would be moving occupants of the 60-year-old downtown federal offices to the city's northwest side, they assumed the current landmark had but one fate: Demolition. Tuleah Palmer envisioned something else: a vibrant, redeveloped four-story building with transitional housing and commercial space for an American Indian artists' marketplace and interpretive center. It's just one example of Palmer's visionary leadership as executive director of the Bemidji-based Northwest Indian Community Development Center. In November, her nonprofit won a $500,000 Bush Prize for community innovation. Palmer talks about good timing, next steps and what's even better than hope.

Q: The timing of your Bush Prize seems perfect. You were driven to create permanent supportive housing and now you have money and maybe even the building in which to make it a reality.

http://www.startribune.com/tuleah-palmer-builds-community-in-bemidji/503355732/