After more than three decades of working in Springfield’s nonprofit sector — including organizations like the United Way of the Ozarks, Victim Center, American Cancer Society and Mercy — Harmony House Executive Director Lisa Farmer announced her plans to retire later this year.
She has been with Harmony House, Greene County’s only domestic violence shelter, since 2014. When she accepted the job, Farmer said she had no real personal experience with domestic violence.
“The big thing I’ve learned is just how prevalent it is. I never would have imagined how common it is,” Farmer said. “The other thing I’ve learned that really sticks out for me is how difficult it is for survivors to leave for so many reasons.
“One of the most common questions that we are asked is, ‘Well, why don’t they just leave?’” she continued. “I didn’t realize how extremely difficult it is because there are so many different barriers and because it’s so incredibly dangerous for them to leave in so many cases.”
Asked what she’s learned from the survivors over the years, Farmer caught her breath and replied: “Wow.”
“The survivors have taught me about courage,” she said. “I have met so many heroes in my time with Harmony House. They have taught me about resilience and about perseverance and courage.”
Farmer mentioned two survivors, Lisa Saylor and Janice Thompson, as having made an incredible impact in educating the community about domestic violence and advocating for victims. Both women have shared their experiences publicly. In 2021, Saylor and Thompson traveled to Jefferson City to speak to lawmakers about a bill that would allow for lifetime protection orders in certain situations. That bill was later signed into law by Gov. Mike Parson.
The Daily Citizen reached out to Saylor and Thompson for comment about Farmer’s upcoming retirement.
“Over the past several years, I have been honored to share in the mission of Harmony House. I have benefited from them through their outreach advocacy and joined forces with them in helping to make the journey from victim to survivor a little easier,” Saylor responded via messenger. “Lisa Farmer’s tireless dedication and compassion to making this journey from victim to survivor a little bit brighter has helped to build a bridge in this community. She has raised community awareness and is leaving big shoes to be filled by their next director.”
When she learned of Farmer’s plans to retire, Thompson said she initially panicked and thought no one could replace her.
“But here is the thing, they don’t have to. Lisa has helped move Harmony House to the next level. She has an amazing team in there and has set (Harmony House) on a course of growth,” Thompson wrote. “She may not be clocking in or sitting at a desk anymore, but Lisa will always be an advocate for victims. I am so honored to know her and to think of her as one of my amazing warrior friends. I look forward to seeing her in this new well-deserved chapter of rest and relaxation, and I know that she will always be a champion for us.”
During her time at Harmony House, Farmer spearheaded a $6.1 million capital campaign to fund a new shelter that increased capacity by 50 percent (from 110 beds to 160 beds). The residents moved into the new shelter — a completely renovated hotel at 3404 E. Ridgeview St. — in February of 2017.
Farmer said watching the residents enter the new shelter for the first time was probably her favorite and most memorable experience at Harmony House.
“One of the survivors was crying and said, ‘I just can’t believe that people we don’t even know would do this for us,’” Farmer recalled. “The difference between the old shelter and new shelter was just night and day. And, you know, she was just overwhelmed that the community would come together and do this for them and make sure that they had not just a safe place, but a comfortable, welcoming, nice place. And I will never forget that.”
As part of the capital campaign to fund the new shelter, Farmer and her team came up with the idea for iCare six years ago. iCare is a community-wide, month-long campaign to raise funds and awareness about domestic violence. iCare happens every October, National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Businesses and individuals display signs and stickers that say, “Ask me why iCare” to encourage people to start conversations about domestic violence. Then on iCare Day (Oct. 30) people wear symbolic black eye stickers.
Some notable community figures who regularly promote the iCare campaign include Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott, Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams, Missouri State University President Clif Smart, Miss Missouri 2020 Megan Kelly, Central Bank of the Ozarks President Joselyn Baldner, President and CEO of SRC Holdings Corporation Jack Stack and Prime Inc. Founder Robert Low.
According to Farmer, the idea for the black eye stickers came from Harmony House volunteer Stacy Jurado Miller.
“I’ll always remember she said we need to have people wear a black eye for a day, like literally walk around all day with a black eye on. It’s got to be in your face. It’s got to be attention-getting so people will talk about it,” Farmer said. “At the time we thought, ‘Oh, that’s like really uncomfortable. Can’t we just do a T-shirt?’”
But the campaign was a success and has continued to grow every year. On iCare day, people all across the Ozarks don the black eye stickers as well as a lapel sticker that say, “Ask me why iCare about domestic violence” and share on social media why they care about the issue using the hashtag #iCare.
“We call it the symbolic black eye because we know, and I think we’ve taught the community, that domestic violence is not just physical,” Farmer said. “There’s all sorts of emotional abuse, spiritual abuse, financial abuse, many forms of abuse.”
In March of 2018, Harmony House partnered with the Vecino Group to open the Talia Apartments, a 46-unit permanent, supportive housing complex with units set aside for survivors of domestic violence.
Later that same year, the Family Justice Center opened and Farmer was instrumental in its planning and launch. The center is often described as a one-stop shop for victims of abuse, with representatives from law enforcement, the prosecutor's office, state children's division, legal services and advocates from the Victim Center and Harmony House all in one safe location.
Under Farmer’s leadership, Harmony House received the 2018 Best Nonprofit Award for medium-size agency from Drury University’s Center for Nonprofit Studies and the 2021 Curtis Strube Small Business Award from the Springfield Chamber of Commerce.
Asked about the difficult times with Harmony House, Farmer said it’s really hard when she hears about survivors who weren’t able to break the cycle of abuse.
“But then we have so many success stories that remind us all that this is why we do it,” she added. “Because we do make an impact. Even those survivors that go back to their abuser, we know that they’re armed with more information than when they came in. And that next time might be the time they leave for good. We have to respect that. We always respect their decisions and really just hope that they’ve got a little more information than they did have.”
Farmer said she plans to continue working through December, with her last official day being around Dec. 16.
The organization’s board of directors has established a Succession Planning Team with the goal of onboarding a new executive director this fall, a news release said.
That will allow Farmer and the shelter’s new leader several weeks to work together at Harmony House and within the community.
“On behalf of the board of directors, the leadership team, and Harmony House staff, we want to thank Lisa for her leadership and impact over the past 7 years,” Board Chair Stacey James said in the release. “We are grateful to Lisa for her dedication to Harmony House and wish her the very best as she retires with her husband.”
