New Harmony Centre Chair Regards Community Enrichment as an Ongoing Priority for the Organization

In late January and I had the pleasure of meeting with Jeff Elie, the new chair of the board of Harmony Centre. Jeff has been actively involved with the Centre since 2023, and we met in the splendid Greaves Auditorium for a chat.  I was curious about his background, and wondered what his position at Harmony Centre entailed.

Lorraine:Tell me a little about your previous work experience, Jeff.
Jeff: I spent my career in corporate communications, mostly in the US with large Fortune 500 manufacturing companies. I carried out marketing strategy, corporate communications, crisis communications, and any external communications that were needed.

Lorraine:What about community service?
Owen Sound has been my home for more than 35 years, and I’ve always felt that it’s important to give back to the community. I’ve been involved in many environmental, arts, culture, and charitable organizations through the years — sometimes in leadership roles, and sometimes just rolling up my sleeves and pitching in.

Lorraine:Why did you become involved with Harmony Centre?
Jeff: I was invited to sit on the board right out of the blue. I had just stepped down from a previous commitment, and Harmony Centre felt like the right thing at the right time. I haven’t looked back since.

Lorraine:What do you do at Harmony Centre?
Jeff: Well I chair the meetings, and I do a little bit of everything really, where needed. A couple of weeks ago I came in to the office when the operations manager was away to fill in and handle emails — next thing I know I’m lending a hand removing radiators and cutting out old steam pipes… I do whatever is needed!  I’m involved in Harmony Centre administration, and I do much of the marketing, public relations, and communications, because that’s my thing.

Lorraine:What do you think are your own strengths as board chair?
Jeff: I have a good organizational mind, and good communication skills which are beneficial to an organization like this.

Lorraine:What do you try to bring to the board and to Harmony Centre?
Jeff: I try to bring what I brought to my career, which is a level of professionalism, strategic thinking, and interpersonal skills — because 90% of success is relationships.

Lorraine: How do you bring on new board members? How do you source them?
Jeff: We rely on word of mouth and advertising. Sometimes people step forward, or people bring people forward.

Lorraine: What do you look for in a new board member?
Jeff: We look for someone who is familiar with the Harmony Centre culture, who understands what Harmony Centre is, and who has a good understanding of Owen Sound. We look for people who have an interest or passion in helping provide quality cultural and community programming; people who place value in investing in the community.

Lorraine:How do you measure your performance as a board?
Jeff: There are two questions we ask ourselves: are we enriching the community, and are we financially sustainable. If we are meeting these goals, then we can fulfill our mandate, which is to share welcoming, accessible, and affordable spaces for use by the community. We measure success by taking stock of our achievements: Harmony is still alive and strong after 13 years; our rental spaces are filled; we take pride in the fact that we took more than 1,400 bookings in 2024; and, we pay it forward by handing out thousands of dollars in rent subsidies every year.

Lorraine: Is there anything you’d like to share?
Jeff: Just that Harmony Centre is a model of social enterprise, and it’s a resounding success — the goals that were set out at the beginning have been achieved. But nonetheless, it requires a lot of work and resources to keep this place running, organized, sustainable, and enriching.

If you are interested in volunteering with Harmony Centre or joining our board, please get in touch with us. Terms are three years long, and can be renewed for a second term. That’s long enough to really get involved, and to make a difference for the community.