By Dr. Jeff Bird—
MUNCIE, IN—Elizabeth Rowray acts as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Commerce of Muncie and Delaware County and is its Chief Economic Development Officer.
The Chamber was established in Muncie in 1894 and is one of the oldest Chambers in Indiana. It has a long history of supporting local businesses, large and small. The Chamber is a non-profit, membership-driven organization. It seeks to unite business, government, education, philanthropy, health care and services to create a central agency which lends itself to improving business and building a better community.
The Chamber leads economic development efforts while uniting partners to enhance growth and new opportunities for business, both existing and new. The Chamber has a history of strong board leadership, representing businesses of all types. While Elizabeth leads these local efforts, she is supported by a small but mighty staff.
Rowray grew up in Delaware County, attending county schools and eventually graduating from Muncie Burris high school. She then pursued a bachelor’s degree from Ball State University in English, minoring in history, philosophy and humanities. She had thought of pursuing a law degree, but post-graduation got an opportunity to work with national political figures and found joy in that work. She spent 2 years early in her career at the US Chamber of Commerce, then came back to Delaware County to become a Vice-President of Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance.
Rowray also had opportunities to work in consulting several times and eventually had the opportunity to return to our local Chamber in her current role in April of 2022. She and her family of husband Rick and 3 children live in Yorktown and love being part of our area with its multiple amenities and cultural opportunities. Rowray also represents our area in the Indiana State Legislature as the elected official from District 35 to the Indiana House of Representatives, serving our district since 2020.
She describes her role at the Chamber and with economic development as a daily challenge but relishes the opportunity to make a difference for businesses. The programmatic support available through the Chamber helps businesses grow and prosper by networking. She was instrumental in our regional efforts to obtain funding in Indiana’s READI efforts. She also understands the importance of support for education and quality of place as stimulants for business growth.
Part of her job also entails celebration, and the Chamber sponsors multiple events every year including Chamber Bowl and Chamber Cup. Coming soon with be the Chamber’s Legacy event, occurring on Oct 21 honoring Vicki Veach for her many years leading efforts in Downtown Muncie. The Chambers Annual Dinner and Awards will be held Nov 4.
The Chamber of Commerce of Greater Muncie is fortunate to have a leader like Rowray, who is dedicated to the task of growing business in Delaware County while supporting local established businesses.
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