It doesn’t matter where Lawrence Chamber of Commerce leaders find a new chief executive officer. The important thing is that they find a really good CEO who can lead the chamber in what should be a dynamic period in Lawrence’s business development.

As he left the mayor’s chair Tuesday night, Mike Dever pointed to a number of recent and current infrastructure projects in Lawrence including Rock Chalk Park, a new downtown parking garage, a new homeless shelter, development of Lawrence Venture Park and the completion of the South Lawrence Trafficway. Some of those projects have been the subject of considerable controversy in the community but, for better or worse, they now are headed toward completion and will change the face of Lawrence.

Those changes should trigger significant economic development opportunities. Venture Park will provide important new acreage that local officials can market to business and industrial customers, and the SLT will provide attractive new access to those sites as well as locations to the south and west. If the visions for Rock Chalk Park are realized, it should be a boon to tourism and retail business in Lawrence, as well as local hotels and restaurants.

The community has made a huge investment in infrastructure that could set the stage for big economic advancements in Lawrence. The city can’t afford to lose out on the opportunities that will come with these improvements.

Taking advantage of those opportunities must be a joint effort of city, county, university and business leaders, but the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce will play a key role. For the fifth time in the last 15 years, the chamber is looking for a new CEO. Those leading the search effort say they will first look at candidates who have what they refer to as “local DNA.” Their thinking is that a local candidate who already understands Lawrence and Douglas County may have an advantage over an outside candidate, even one who has more traditional chamber experience.

That makes some sense, but as the chamber currently is structured, the new CEO would be primarily responsible for leading community economic development efforts so he or she also would need to have experience in that area or be a quick learner. The search committee also has an obligation to seek out the best candidates, local or not, rather than simply working from the applications they receive.

It doesn’t hurt for the chamber to try a different approach to hiring and it’s certainly possible that the right person to lead the Lawrence Chamber already is in our midst. Wherever the next chamber CEO comes from, that person needs to be energetic, knowledgeable and ready to accept the challenge of helping Lawrence take advantage of infrastructure improvements to develop its business community, its job opportunities and its economic base.