Thomas V. Chema

Thomas V. Chema is an American academic administrator and lawyer. Chema was named the 21st President of Hiram College in 2003 after having served as a voting member of the Hiram College Board of Trustees for 11 years and chairing the Institutional Advancement Committee. Prior to becoming president of Hiram, Chema spent more than 30 years in business, government, and law.
Chema also serves in a number of national higher education associations including the Council of Independent Colleges, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Annapolis Group, and with Ohio-based organizations such as the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio, the North Coast Athletic Conference, and the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges.
A native of East Liverpool, Ohio, Chema was a 1968 graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a 1971 Cum Laude graduate of Harvard Law School. He began his career with the Cleveland-based law firm of Arter & Hadden in 1971 and became a partner in 1979. He took a leave of absence in 1983 to serve as Executive Director of the Ohio Lottery Commission. In 1985, he was asked to become Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
In 1990, he was appointed Executive Director of the Gateway Economic Development Corporation and was responsible for overseeing the public-private partnership that led to the financing and construction of Progressive Field and Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. He then resumed his law practice and in recent years has consulted across the country on sports and entertainment-related economic development projects as President of Gateway Consultants Group, Inc.
Chema is recognized as an expert on energy and telecommunications economics and regulation, infrastructure planning, and developing public-private partnerships. He has published numerous articles on these topics and frequently lectures throughout the country, including assignments at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.
He is, or has been a trustee of civic and charitable boards including Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation, Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine Health System, St. Ignatius High School, Ohio Hunger Task Force, Historic Gateway Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation, Northeast Ohio Council of Higher Education, Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, College 360⁰, Chair of the Board of UHHS/CSAHS-Cuyahoga, Kids Voting Program, Portage County Port Authority, the Lou Holtz Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame and That Can Be Me, Inc., facilitator of Books@Work.
For profit Board of Director Memberships have included TransTechnology Corporation, Breeze-Eastern Corporation, Edward Howard and Company, and Fairport Funds.