Jim Rock Named Leadership SWLA 2024 Alumni of the Year
Jim Rock, executive director of the Lake Area Industry Alliance (LAIA), was recognized as the Leadership SWLA 2024 Alumni of the Year at the Leadership SWLA Annual Alumni Reception sponsored by Woodside Energy.
Rock, a 1999 graduate of the Leadership program, retired as executive director of LOTTE Chemical, before entering his executive role with LAIA in 2019. His efforts with the organization have solidified local industry impact on the community through programs like the Women in Industry event for senior high school females interested in a career in industry; Paint Recycle Day providing the community with an opportunity to dispose of paint safely and recycled for area nonprofits; and initiating the idea for the LNG Center of Excellence to serve as a hub for research, workforce development and safety, and a depository for best practices for the industry.
Rock is the current Board Chair of the Community Foundation of SWLA and served as a member of the Just Imagine Advisory Council where he helped select the world class master planning team to lead the 50 Year Resilience plan. As part of the plan, Rock served as a champion for the Mid City Neighborhood Transformation and helped secure a $40 Million HUD Choice Neighborhood Grant for the Lake Charles Housing Authority. He also actively serves on the I-10 Bridge Task Force and regularly participates in activities at his church, Our Lady Queen of Heaven.
Previous Alumni of the Year recipients include Willie S. King Jr., Kay Barnett, Julio Galan, Tom Shearman, Lollian Elmer, Clair Marceaux, Denise Rau, Lynn Hohensee, Sara Judson, Cheyenne Boudreaux, Matt Young, Christina Joyce Wilson, Michelle McInnis and Eric Avery.
Each year, the Southwest Economic Development Alliance hosts Leadership SWLA with approximately 30 participants selected from a diverse cross-section of the community. The program spans 11 months offering sessions with hands-on learning experiences led by influential leaders who work directly impacts the region in areas such as economic development, workforce and business growth, education, infrastructure, coastal restoration, and public service.
For more information, visit allianceswla.org.
