Interview: Karla Henderson, director of community development, city of Bloomington

The past few weeks have a whirlwind for Karla Henderson, Bloomington’s new director of community development. Henderson joined the city in mid-March. Since that time, she has been getting acquainted with new colleagues in Minnesota’s fourth-largest city and finalizing her move from Michigan, where she had similar jobs in recent years. Most recently, Henderson worked as a department director for the city of Highland Park, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. She previously spent five years with the city of Ann Arbor, and oversaw planning and facilities for the city of Detroit. Henderson’s resume also includes officer-level positions for two area nonprofits, a job as director of capital development for Wayne County, Michigan, and managing director responsibilities for a consulting firm working with cities and nonprofit firms. In the following interview, Henderson speaks with reporter Brian Johnson about her new role with the city and reflects on where the city has been and where it’s going in the post-pandemic world