Blandin Foundation President and CEO Tuleah Palmer Appointed to Minneapolis Federal Reserve Community Advisory Board

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Palmer to advocate for rural communities in economic policymaking

Grand Rapids, MN – The Blandin Foundation announced today that its President and CEO, Tuleah Palmer, has been invited by Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari to join the Federal Reserve Community Advisory Board (CAB). Palmer attended her first meeting on April 18, 2023 and will serve a two-year term.

The Minneapolis Federal Reserve Community Advisory Board is composed of nonprofit, philanthropic, civic and government leaders who serve as a critical resource for connecting the work of the Minneapolis Fed to the Twin Cities and Ninth District policy community. Board members help identify challenges to opportunity and economic growth in their communities and provide feedback on Fed initiatives to ensure that they are relevant to community needs.

“This is an important opportunity to represent the voices of rural Minnesotans,” said Tuleah Palmer. “I look forward to working with my fellow board members to ensure that the work of the Minneapolis Fed is grounded in the urgent needs of these communities and that our efforts result in action.”

In her first CAB meeting, Palmer highlighted the socioeconomic intersections of race, place and class and how a healthy rural economy benefits the entire state.

The 9^th Federal Reserve district based in Minneapolis, MN is home to many rural communities, spanning 12 percent of the nation’s landmass but containing just three percent of its population.

Blandin Foundation is one of the few foundations in the country devoted exclusively to rural needs. More than 84 percent of Minnesota’s communities have a population under 5,000 but only 10 percent of small business loans and nine percent of philanthropic dollars go to rural areas. This disparity occurs against the backdrop of acute workforce, housing and childcare challenges Blandin is working with leaders across the state to address.

Palmer’s appointment to the Federal Reserve CAB reflects her deep commitment to advancing equity and opportunity in rural communities across Minnesota. As CEO of the Blandin Foundation, she has led efforts to empower rural leaders and communities to address critical issues and drive meaningful change. Throughout her 20 years of nonprofit executive experience, she has focused on community and economic development, workforce development and systems change. Previously, she served as the executive director of the Northwest Indian Community Development Center in Bemidji and has led numerous organizations through strategic planning and program redesign. She has secured and managed over $100 million in grants and successfully acquired funding more than a dozen times at the state capitol.

Her commitment has been recognized with several awards, including the 2019 St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation’s Facing Race Statewide Award, the 2018 Bush Prize and the Bemidji Area United Way Woman of the Year. She has also served in numerous advisory roles, including the Legal Services Corporation’s Rural Justice Task Force, Hubert Humphrey Institute of Public Policy’s Future Services Institute and the Governor’s Councils on Racial Equity, Workforce Development and Economic Expansion.

For more information, please visit the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Community Advisory Board website at https://www.minneapolisfed.org/about-us/advisory-councils/community-advisory-board

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