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Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com

Published - Thursday, July 03, 2008

FBI lauds Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The winner of the 2007 FBI Director's Community Leadership Award is Suzanne Koepplinger, executive director of the Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center.

The special agent in charge of the Minneapolis field office, Ralph S. Boelter, gave her the award at a recent ceremony in downtown Minneapolis.

The field office gives the award every year to someone in its region, which includes Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Boelter called Koepplinger a "shining light" in the community and praised her for her efforts to help not only American Indian women, but also the community as a whole.

Koepplinger also has become a respected voice in the area of human trafficking, particularly of American Indian women.

The leadership award was created in 1990 to recognize people and groups that have made outstanding contributions toward crime prevention, education and community awareness.