Harmony House fills director position

Harmony House has once again filled its top position.

Lisa Farmer started June 18, succeeding Patty Ingle, who held the job for six months before taking a director of development position at Missouri State University in May. Ingle was named permanently to the Harmony House job in December after serving in the interim since September, following the exit of four-year Director Rodney Dwyer. Dwyer, too, succeeded a four-year director, Pat Reiser, who resigned in August 2009, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Farmer worked most recently for about a year as a health care strategy development and marketing professional for Ozark-based home care software company HealthMedX. Prior to that, she works eight months as a marketing director for Saint Luke's Health System in Kansas City, and 12 years in marketing and strategic planning for Mercy Springfield Communities, according to a news release.

Harmony House spokeswoman Esther Munch noted the new director also has nonprofit experience working as a program director of United Way of the Ozarks for a year and executive director of The Victim Center in Springfield for nearly five years in the 1990s.

At Harmony House, Farmer is charged with operations management and growing the agency, which has served over 16,000 survivors of domestic violence since opening in 1976, according to the release.

"Her strong background in nonprofit administration, marketing and communications, along with her previous work in victim services, make her uniquely qualified to lead Harmony House," said Chris Ollis, board chairman of the nonprofit, in the release. "The board and I look forward to working alongside Lisa as we continue to strengthen and expand the important services offered to families impacted by domestic violence."[[In-content Ad]]