Thomas V. Chema (October 31, 1946 – March 16, 2025) was an American

academic administrator Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities. Some ...

and attorney. Chema served as the 21st President of

Hiram College Hiram College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Hiram, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1850 as the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute by Amos Sutton Hayden and other members of the Disciples of Christ Church. The college is nonse ...

from 2004 to 2013. Prior to becoming president of Hiram, Chema spent more than 30 years in business, government, and law.

Early life and education

Chema was born on October 31, 1946. A native of

East Liverpool, Ohio East Liverpool is a city in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 9,958 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It lies along the Ohio River at the intersection of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia about from both ...

, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

and

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

Career

Chema began his career with the

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

-based law firm of

Arter & Hadden Arter & Hadden LLP was a Cleveland-based law firm, founded in 1843 and dissolved on July 15, 2003, making it one of the oldest U.S. legal partnerships at the time. The firm had engaged in an ambitious expansion throughout the 1990s, peaking in 199 ...

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 The Ohio Lottery is a state lottery run by the Ohio Lottery Commission. Its games consist of scratch tickets; Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 5 ("numbers games"); Rolling Cash 5, Classic Lotto, Keno, Lucky for Life, Mega Millions, and Powerball. The Lotter ...

. In 1985, became Chairman of the

Public Utilities Commission of Ohio The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) is the public utilities commission of the U.S. state of Ohio, charged with the regulation of utility service providers such as those of electricity, natural gas, and telecommunications as well as railr ...

. He also served in a number of national higher education associations including the

Council of Independent Colleges The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association in the United States of more than 650 independent, liberal arts colleges and university, universities and more than 100 higher education affiliates and organizations. Member institutions ...

, the

National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) located in Washington D.C. It is an organization of private American colleges and universities. Founded in 1976, it is made up of over 1,000 indepe ...

, the

Annapolis Group The Annapolis Group (officially, the Annapolis Group of Liberal Arts Colleges) is an American organization of independent liberal arts colleges. It represents approximately 130 liberal arts colleges in the United States. These colleges work toge ...

, and with Ohio-based organizations such as the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio, the

North Coast Athletic Conference The North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III which is composed of colleges located in Ohio and Indiana. It sponsors 23 ...

, and the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges. In 1990, he was appointed executive director of the

Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex 200px, Logo for the Gateway Sports Complex The Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex is an entertainment complex located in downtown area of Cleveland, Ohio. It opened in 1994 and is owned by the city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County and ...

and was responsible for overseeing the public-private partnership that led to the financing and construction of

Progressive Field Progressive Field is a baseball stadium in the downtown area of Cleveland, Ohio. It is the ballpark of the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball and, together with Rocket Arena, is part of the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex. ...

and

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Rocket Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The building is the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL). It also serves as a sec ...

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. 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 lectured throughout the country, including assignments at the

Harvard Graduate School of Design The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urba ...

Death

Thomas V. Chema died at his home in

Downtown Cleveland Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The economic and cultural center of the city and the Cleveland metropolitan area, it is Cleveland's oldest district, with its Public Square, Cleveland, Publi ...

, on March 16, 2025, at the age of 78.Thomas Vincent Chema
/ref>

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chema, Thomas V. 1946 births 2025 deaths Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Presidents of Hiram College Harvard Law School alumni University of Notre Dame alumni People from East Liverpool, Ohio People from Hiram, Ohio