Introducing Doug Hawe, New Chair of Kawartha Works Community Co-op
After eleven years as founder and Chair of Kawartha Works, Jim Armstrong is passing the leadership baton to new board Chair, Doug Hawe.
Doug Hawe grew up spending summers at his family’s cottage on Chandos Lake. His parents eventually took up permanent residence in the Kawarthas, and Doug and his family moved here in 2020. As a real estate agent, he is well acquainted with the various communities.
Hawe has been a Director on the KWCC board since 2024. He has nothing but praise for Armstrong’s past leadership.
“Jim has dedicated years to helping improve our communities,” Hawe says. “He has an incredible network of contacts across the Kawarthas and he is very skilled at building partnerships. He also is capable of working hands-on with an impressive number of initiatives simultaneously. I am not sure how he creates all of that capacity but I hope to learn this from him as we transition and evolve the role of Chair at KWCC.”
Jim Armstrong, who is not leaving the board, but only changing his role to Past Chair, believes it is immensely important, for KWCC’s vitality and sustainability, to ensure the evolution of successive leadership. “It’s wonderful to see that kind of capacity for succession on the KWCC board,” he says. “In this case, Doug brings many skills and relevant experiences for organizational and community leadership, and a deep familiarity with the Kawartha Lakes area.”
As the new Chair, Doug Hawe is looking forward to “working with the wonderful, committed KWCC Board members” to improve social infrastructure in Kawartha Lakes. “We see a great opportunity to build new partnerships and new initiatives. We believe the new Vital Signs Report [to be released in February] will help us understand what are the un-met needs in our communities. KWCC can help to fill the gaps, either with existing capabilities, or by incubating new community service capabilities.”
To learn more about Kawartha Works Community Co-operative, please visit the website at kawarthacoop.ca
