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Thomas V. Chema is the 21st President of Hiram College. Chema is a 1971 graduate of Harvard Law School with more than thirty years of leadership experience in business, government, and law. For the past decade, Chema has served as a voting member of the Hiram College Board of Trustees and has chaired the Institutional Advancement Committee.
After graduating from Harvard, Chema joined the Cleveland-based firm of Arter and Hadden in June of 1971. He became a partner in 1979. In 1983, Chema resigned his position with Arter and Hadden to serve as executive director of the Ohio Lottery Commission. Two years later, he joined the Public Utility Commission of Ohio as executive director. During his five year tenure with PUCO, Chema received national and international accolades for his knowledge of energy economics and regulation. He served on the advisory board to the Electric Power Research Institute, the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Alternative Research and Development Strategies, and he was invited to attend the Ditchley Institute in Great Britain-an international forum for sharing insight into global problems.
After fulfilling his tenure at PUCO, Chema rejoined Arter and Hadden as a partner in 1989. In 1990, Chema parlayed his knowledge and experience working with the state lottery and utility organizations into an executive directorship with the Gateway Economic Development Corporation of Greater Cleveland. During his thirteen years with Gateway, Chema has overseen the financing and construction of two major public sports facilities, Gund Arena and Jacobs' Field.
Prior to earning his juris doctorate from Harvard Law School, Chema graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 1968. | 