First presented almost 25 years before he was born, it could be argued that the Civic Cup of Lafayette – which recognizes outstanding contributions to the community – was designed with Clay Allen in mind.

In almost every area that is important to a vibrant community, including health care, education and economic development, Clay Allen has made an indelible mark for his voluntary leadership and the example he provides for community engagement and service.

Clay serves as the elected chair (he prefers “chief volunteer”) of the Board of Trustees for the Lafayette General Health System, a network that oversees Lafayette General Medical Center (LGMC) and more than a dozen other hospitals and medical centers within a 45-mile radius. LGMC is the region’s largest not-for-profit community-owned hospital and together with its owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and medical centers, the Lafayette General Health System employs over 4,000 people.

Clay began his service to LGMC more than 15 years ago, performing community outreach. Since 2010 he has presided over the organization’s transformation from a single hospital to a major teaching institution, a Level 2 Trauma Center, and the largest full-service acute care health system, and employer, in the Acadiana region.

Clay also served as a board member of the internationally recognized Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation, housed within the Pennington Research Center in Baton Rouge.

An ardent supporter of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL-Lafayette), Clay has served on the advisory boards of the College of Business, where he was a past chair, and the Center for Advanced Computer Studies. Clay was a co-chair of the University’s Centennial Fundraising Campaign – the most successful fundraising effort in University history. The Centennial Fundraising Campaign raised the University’s academic endowment to over $100 million.  Clay was awarded a Doctor of Letters from UL-Lafayette in honor of his service to the endowment of academics.

In promoting economic interests of Lafayette and Acadiana, Clay served on the Mayor’s Advisory Council for the City’s successful fiber-optics-to-the-home initiative, today’s LUSFiber and is a past chair of the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce.

His talents have also been dedicated to strengthening the state’s economy and encouraging best-practices stewardship from elected officials. Clay has served on the boards of numerous statewide organizations including the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) and Louisiana’s Committee of 100 for Economic Development. He was past chair of both organizations.

In 2006, Clay co-founded and currently serves as the chair of Blueprint Louisiana, an historic statewide reform movement focused on essential governmental changes that include ethics, workforce development and other areas focused on improving life and economic opportunities for every citizen.

Clay is the managing partner of the law firm of Allen & Gooch. He has more than 30 years of experience counseling corporations and boards of directors on issues of corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, and matters of corporate finance. Clay is also a managing director of the investment banking firm of Westlake Securities, with offices in Austin and Houston, Texas, and Lafayette, Louisiana.

Clay received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Louisiana State University (LSU) and a Juris Doctor from the LSU Law Center where he was an editor of the Louisiana Law Review and graduated Order of the Coif. He earned a Master of Laws in Taxation from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with honors from Tulane University.

Allen & Gooch is providing this legal update for informational purposes only. This article should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion as to any specific facts or circumstances. You should consult your own attorney concerning your particular situation and any specific legal questions you may have.