Inauguration of Thomas V. Chema
Thomas V. Chema, J.D., the 21st President of Hiram College, was inaugurated Thursday, Sept. 23 at 3:30 p.m. on the Martin Common in the heart of the Hiram campus. The inauguration was the formal installation of the Hiram President.
Reaffirming Hiram's heritage, the inauguration is customarily held at the conclusion of a new president's first year in office. Presidents of 12 colleges and universities were among the 39 delegates to participate in the ceremony including representatives from Notre Dame and Harvard, where Chema completed his bachelor's degree and earned his Juris Doctorate. Richard Celeste, former Governor of Ohio and President of Colorado College, introduced Chema. Both Celeste and Chema went from high profile positions in business and industry in Northeast Ohio to become presidents of selective liberal arts institutions. 
The oath of office was conferred by Vincent D. DiGirolamo, chairman of the Hiram College Board of Trustees. Chema's inauguration speech was entitled "A Strong Mark for Good Upon Our Time."
Chema is a 1968 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a 1971 Cum Laude graduate of the Harvard Law School. He has more than 30 years of leadership experience in business, government, and the law. Prior to being named President of Hiram College, he served as a member of the institution's Board of Trustees for 11 years and chaired the Institutional Advancement Committee.
Chema 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 Ohio Public Utilities Commission. 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 Jacobs Field and Gund 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 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, and Chair of the Board of UHHS/CSAHS-Cuyahoga and Kids Voting Program.