Constance Palmer is the President and CEO of Outreach Community Health Centers, one of five federally qualified health centers in Milwaukee that are set up to make sure that everyone, regardless of income, insurance status or ability to pay has access to high-quality healthcare. The organization started as Healthcare for the Homeless, and still provides homeless services and other community-based programs that extend beyond primary care and behavioral health services. Outreach is a large organization with many moving parts. Most of Constance's day gets spent in meetings and on phone calls with the leadership team, outside collaborators, board members and other supporters.
Constance says that one of her favorite Professional Dimensions activities is the Race Relations Conversation Circles, because they create space where people can candidly talk about race, and this has given her the opportunity to build relationships with people who don't look like her.
She has always followed this piece of advise given to her regarding professional career: don't chase money, find a mission that is important to you and will make you happy. "When I was in banking, I felt I wasn't making a difference in the community," Constance says, "now I feel like Im making a difference in the world." An important leadership trait she admires is the ability to build relationships. Her mother had that trait as well as other great leaders Constance admires.
Constance is a proud mother of two sons and a proud grandmother of four grandchildren. They live in Florida, but she can FaceTime with them frequently. She also has two dogs: Miles and Neko.
When asked who she would most like to meet, dead or alive, she responded Jesus. She would have so many questions! Most importantly, she wold ask him "How did you make people love the way you did?"
She recommends the book, "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable," by Patrick Lencioni. She thought it was a very good read and is looking at ways to apply with current leadership here at outreach community health center involving training.
It is has been a lifelong dream of hers to go to Africa and spend 1-3 years doing mission work with young girls and young women teaching empowerment skills.
