Suzanne Koepplinger, M.A., has been the Executive Director of the Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center since December of 2003. She has a background in international project development and management, communications, domestic violence advocacy, and fundraising. Suzanne serves on the State of Minnesota Children's Justice Initiative/Alcohol and Other Drugs (CJI/AOD) Core Team, Metro Urban Indian Directors (MUID) Group, MACC Alliance of Connected Communities Board of Directors, American Indian Community Development Corporation Board of Directors, and the Greater Twin Cities United Way Council of Agency Executives - Executive Committee. Civic/volunteer activities include serving on the Steering Committee for the Sheila Wellstone Institute, on the FBI Civil Rights Advisory Group, and as international team leader for Global Citizens Network, bringing volunteers into indigenous communities around the globe. Suzanne is of Canadian Mohawk and European ancestry, holds a Masters degree in the Art of Leadership from Augsburg College and is a Certified Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist. She is the 2007 recipient of the Minneapolis FBI Director's Community Leadership Award and the 2008 Sheila Wellstone Gold Watch Award from WATCH.
Recent public speaking presentations include Trafficking of American Indian Women for the Fond du Lac College's Minnesota American Indian Institute of Alcohol and Drug Addition Studies, for the Minnesota Conference on Trafficking in St. Paul, for Crimes in Indian Country Conference in Sioux City, NE, and most recently for the Tribal Justice and Safety Conference in Washington, D.C. In addition, Suzanne co-presented at the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) National Conference in Washington, DC on new program development and corporate/non-profit partnerships.