Jerry Greig has served the Lafayette community well over the years. He's been chairman of the United Way of Acadiana and chairman of the St. Thomas More High School Board. He took part in Leadership Lafayette and was on the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce's board and executive committee.

Meanwhile, he's moved up in the energy world, now working as chief information officer of Fugro Chance Inc., a member of the Fugro Group of companies.

That background should serve him well in 2012 as he takes over as the chamber chairman. Greig will be recognized Thursday during the chamber's annual banquet, which has the theme "Celebrate Lafayette."

"This chairman has been a leader in every aspect of the community that he has been involved in," said Chamber President and CEO Rob Guidry. "He brings that experience to the table. Not only does he have a strong business background, but he loves his community. Every year, the chamber chairman comes from a different segment of the community, and they all bring their individual experience and perspectives to the job. It keeps the chamber fresh and effective."

Greig has worked with the chamber off and on for the past 15 years, becoming more active once he returned to Lafayette after living in Houston. His time in the Leadership Lafayette program, which lets participants learn about government, the arts, education and other aspects of community involvement, was a solid introduction back into Lafayette.

Now as he takes over as chamber chairman, Greig said he wants to focus on a variety of issues, including the ongoing efforts to develop a comprehensive master plan for Lafayette's growth.

"The comprehensive plan was a big initiative last year, and it looks like this year will be a big year for it as well, especially as we enter into the charettes and receiving the public's input," Greig said.

Another focus will be on innovation, whether it is in technology, the arts, infrastructure or any other sector. Toward that end, Greig is involved in plans to host an innovation showcase just before Festival International de Louisiane.

While the chamber helps lead efforts in several areas, the key sectors of education and energy will continue to be top priorities, Greig said.

"Education is important to us because we need an educated workforce to attract and retain companies," Greig said. "The discussion about energy really took off even more after the (drilling) moratorium. We do focus on other parts of our economy, such as health care and the financial sector, but energy and education really are the backbones here."

Guidry said he also is looking forward to Greig using his skills in developing relationships with other organizations to help move the chamber forward.

"Jerry shares an interest in partnering with other organizations and has a lot of connections with other groups," Guidry said. "A chamber can't do everything it needs to do by itself. With strong partnerships, we can all be effective in helping our

community."