Coalition’s Liz Kuoppala acclaimed as ‘dream maker’ for Minnesota women

Those who know her consider it old news, but now all of Minnesota is hearing Liz Kuoppala’s story. The tale in a nutshell: The woman can do pretty much anything.

Those weren’t exactly the words used in last month’s announcement naming Kuoppala a 2009 recipient of the Ann Bancroft Dream Maker Award, but words can’t easily capture what she’s about. And though Kuoppala has been hailed for her leadership work as Interim Executive Director of MCH and as a member of the Eveleth City Council, neither can her appeal be explained by her job-of-the-moment. At age 38, she’s plowed through more careers — from chemist and locomotive engineer to mentor, political organizer and Wellstone staffer — than most people manage in a lifetime.

Yet a quirky work history isn’t what it takes to be a “dream maker.” Something else altogether explains the attention Kuoppala has drawn. From her earliest days as an Iron Range schoolgirl, Kuoppala has exhibited a talent for transcending troubles that others might find insurmountable. That skill enabled a girl from a hungry family of 12 to cast off poverty, abuse and depression in favor of survival and success — and ultimately to help new generations of struggling girls travel the same path to safety.

“That’s what’s remarkable about Liz,” says Patrick Wood, who has worked with Kuoppala at the Coalition. “She’s a natural leader and a dedicated world-changer — and she knows just what she’s after. She sees empowerment of the disenfranchised — especially girls and women — as the basis of all lasting social change. She’s never forgotten where she came from, and there’s no way she’s forgetting all the girls who still face the challenges she faced.”

Kuoppala’s work for the Coalition makes these girls and women impossible to forget. Eager to quell hackneyed stereotypes about homelessness, she often notes that women and children make up two-thirds of Minnesota’s unsheltered population. Serving their needs, she argues, is one key to securing the state’s future. Concerned that too few lawmakers know what a “typical” homeless Minnesotan looks like, she often invites unsheltered women to testify before committees charged with addressing homelessness.

Kuoppala has served as mentor to dozens of young Minnesota women — enlisting their help and counsel both at the Coalition and in her work for the Eveleth City Council. And though she’s happy to serve as a role model for younger women, she doesn’t consider that job a passive enterprise. Indeed, it’s common for Kuoppala to step in front of a classroom or a community group to share her life story and recount her race three years ago against an incumbent city councilor in Eveleth — a contest she won by a two-to-one margin. Her message is a simple one: Women make terrific leaders, and Minnesota needs more of them. In fact, she says, women can do pretty much anything they dream up.

Those are the words of a pioneer and a dream maker, and it’s no surprise they won notice from the Ann Bancroft Foundation. Its annual achievement awards are meant to honor women not only for their own accomplishments, but also “for supporting other women and girls as they accept challenges and reach toward their potential.” Few women fit that description better than Liz Kuoppala.

Kuoppala accepted the Dream Maker Award on Wednesday, April 29, at the Hilton Hotel in Minneapolis. More information about the Ann Bancroft Foundation is available at www.annbancroftfoundation.org.