President Candidate  ·  DePaul Cristo Rey High School

Thomas L.
Gabelman

  Civic Leader  ·  Institutional Strategist

Mission-centered Catholic executive leader — bringing four decades of governance, fiduciary stewardship, and earned-revenue leadership to strengthen Catholic identity, expand Corporate Work Study partnerships, and ensure the long-term sustainability of DePaul Cristo Rey’s transformative mission.

40+
Years of Service
$8B+
Projects Led
25+
Yrs. Mental Health Board
Explore His Candidacy
Thomas L. Gabelman — Presidential Candidate, DePaul Cristo Rey High School
Thomas L. Gabelman Mission-Driven Leader  ·  President Candidate  ·  DePaul Cristo Rey
The Candidate

A Life Built for
This Mission

Thomas L. Gabelman is a lifelong Catholic executive leader — shaped by faith, parish service, and a genuine commitment to students and families facing meaningful barriers — who has spent four decades building, structuring, and sustaining complex, multi-stakeholder projects across Greater Cincinnati and the nation.

As Project Counsel to the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners for 28 years, he served as the chief architect of Cincinnati’s most consequential civic investments: The Banks riverfront redevelopment ($3B), the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor ($5B+), Paycor Stadium, and Great American Ball Park. In each initiative, he led not just the legal and financial structures, but the long-range governance, stakeholder alignment, and capital deployment strategies that made transformative outcomes possible.

His “Smart P3” framework — which integrates physical and social infrastructure into unified financing models — reflects the same conviction that drives DePaul Cristo Rey’s Corporate Work Study Program: that disciplined, earned-revenue structures and human formation are not competing priorities. They are the same work, designed together and sustained together.

Contact
tlgabelman@gmail.com
Cincinnati, Ohio
Education
J.D.  ·  University of Cincinnati College of Law
B.A. Summa Cum Laude  ·  University of Cincinnati
Phi Beta Kappa  ·  Commencement Orator
Career
Frost Brown Todd LLP (2012–2025)
Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease (1995–2012)
Graydon, Head & Ritchey (1984–1995)
Congressman Bill Gradison (1980–1982)
Connect
LinkedIn Profile →
Faith, Family & Service

His executive approach integrates spiritual grounding with operational discipline — fostering ethics-driven leadership that aligns mission integrity with measurable performance. For more than 25 years he has served as Chair of the Hamilton County Mental Health & Recovery Services Board, overseeing fiduciary governance of a $100M+ annual behavioral health system. He has served Catholic educational institutions through both governance and crisis leadership — building durable institutional strength and sustained financial growth through transparent stewardship and consistent delivery.

Mr. Gabelman has been deeply involved in Catholic parish and school leadership for more than forty years. As a youth coach in multiple boys’ and girls’ sports, he focused on ensuring that every child had the opportunity to grow in confidence, discipline, teamwork, and joy through athletics rooted in Catholic values. Character formation and disciplined effort — not scoreboard outcomes — were the true measures of success.

Tom Gabelman is a lifelong Cincinnatian whose Catholic faith and commitment to service have shaped both his professional leadership and family life. He and his late wife, Carol, raised their three children — Kevin, Megan, and Ryan — in the parish community of St. Mary and through Catholic education at Summit Country Day School. Carol served as Chair of St. Mary’s Education Commission and was deeply involved in parish life; both she and Tom coached youth sports for many years.

Each of their children pursued advanced graduate education and remains actively engaged in their respective communities. Megan served as an elementary school teacher in Miami-Dade County, Florida — working in one of the nation’s most economically challenged districts — a reflection of the family’s enduring commitment to educational opportunity and mission-driven service.

Tom Gabelman and the Gabelman family established the Kelly-Carol Foundation for Children with Cancer to honor the legacy of his niece, who passed away from pediatric cancer. The Foundation was rededicated to honor Carol Gabelman, one of its founding members, whose work and dedication as Family Services Coordinator defined the unique way the Foundation provides assistance to families — quickly, effectively, and with deep personal care.

Carol’s ability to meet families in their most difficult moments was developed through a lifetime of service dedicated to fulfilling the needs of others. It was truly in giving that brought great joy to her life. Though Carol’s life ended all too soon in 2002, her strong spirit remains a continuing source of inspiration for the Foundation’s mission — and for everything Tom Gabelman brings to his leadership today.

A Steward of Mission and Sustainability

Effective presidential leadership requires fidelity to Catholic identity, disciplined fiduciary oversight, strategic clarity, and a deep respect for community. Tom’s executive approach integrates:

Faith-based institutional stewardship
Transparent Board governance
Long-range strategic planning
Revenue diversification and earned-income alignment
Data-informed decision-making
Community partnership and coalition leadership

He believes that institutional durability is the truest measure of leadership.

Strategic Alignment with DePaul Cristo Rey

As the School enters its next strategic horizon, leadership must both preserve and strengthen its distinctive model through disciplined stewardship and measurable progress:

Academic & College Outcomes
  • Enhancing academic proficiency benchmarks
  • Deepening college matriculation and persistence tracking
  • Aligning curriculum rigor with long-term student success
Corporate Work Study Sustainability
  • Diversifying employer sector partnerships
  • Monitoring seat utilization and revenue per student
  • Strengthening corporate partner retention and measurable ROI
Family & Community Engagement
  • Deepening parental involvement in financial and academic preparedness
  • Expanding financial literacy support
  • Strengthening alumni and parish engagement
Financial Stewardship
  • Maintaining disciplined operating oversight
  • Strengthening philanthropic retention and growth
  • Ensuring sustainable earned-revenue alignment

Commitment to the DePaul Cristo Rey Community

  • Steward Catholic identity with humility and clarity
  • Partner transparently with the Board of Directors
  • Strengthen the Corporate Work Study Program responsibly
  • Protect long-term financial sustainability
  • Support faculty and staff leadership development
  • Advance measurable outcomes for students and families
Leadership Competencies

What He Brings to DPCR

Institutional Governance & Fiduciary Stewardship
25+ years as Chair of the Hamilton County Mental Health & Recovery Services Board, overseeing $100M+ in annual public funding across 36 provider agencies. Recognized for ethical leadership, policy alignment, and fiduciary accountability in both public-sector and Catholic educational governance.
Capital Structuring & Financial Oversight
Designed and executed multi-source capital strategies integrating federal, state, local, and private funding. Oversaw budget compliance, financial performance, and fiscal governance across complex, multi-decade implementation horizons.
Corporate & Philanthropic Advancement
Deep, trusted relationships across the Greater Cincinnati corporate, philanthropic, and civic communities. Experienced in donor cultivation, major gift strategy, and earned-revenue program development for mission-driven organizations.
Catholic Educational Leadership
Crisis leadership at Summit Country Day School following a catastrophic partial structural collapse — securing mid-eight-figure financial recovery, preserving enrollment, and restoring community trust. Board governance and coaching roles at multiple Catholic institutions.
Earned-Revenue & Corporate Partnership Strategy
Decades of structuring complex multi-source funding frameworks — aligning public, private, and philanthropic capital around shared outcomes — translate directly to expanding and sustaining the Corporate Work Study Program and diversifying DePaul Cristo Rey’s revenue base.
Public-Private Partnerships
Architect of the “Smart P3” model blending physical and social infrastructure. Structured 25+ funding sources and 135+ implementation agreements across multi-decade civic projects. Recognized nationally for innovative financing frameworks.
Career History

Four Eras of Leadership

2012 – 2025
Frost Brown Todd LLP
Partner  ·  Public-Private Partnerships & Institutional Strategy Leadership
Built and led the firm’s P3 and Infrastructure Practice, serving as strategic advisor to state agencies, counties, municipalities, and institutional clients. Translating complex public-private funding frameworks into sustainable, performance-accountable institutional models directly informs leadership of earned-revenue educational enterprises such as DePaul Cristo Rey's. Developed and mentored an integrated team of professionals delivering multi-year infrastructure and redevelopment initiatives. Served as primary relationship leader for Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati across 28 years of consecutive civic engagement.
1995 – 2012
Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease LLP
Partner  ·  Construction & Infrastructure Practice Leadership
Organized and led the firm’s Construction Law Practice, directing complex infrastructure, development, and institutional governance matters for public and private clients across the tri-state region.
1984 – 1995
Graydon, Head & Ritchey
Partner  ·  Construction Practice Chair
Chaired the Construction Law Practice, advising institutional, governmental, and private clients on development, finance, and complex dispute resolution matters across Ohio and beyond.
1980 – 1982
Congressman Bill Gradison
Managed constituent services and governmental coordination activities, developing early foundations in public service, civic leadership, and community engagement.
Representative Initiatives

Landmark Projects

$5B+
Brent Spence Bridge Corridor
Led Bi-State funding coordination and capital stack sequencing for one of the five largest infrastructure initiatives in the United States. Negotiated the first Bi-State legal framework between Ohio and Kentucky. Secured $1.6B in federal infrastructure grants. Now under construction.
$3B
The Banks — Cincinnati Riverfront Redevelopment
25-year chief project counsel for Cincinnati’s landmark riverfront redevelopment. Negotiated 135+ implementation agreements, secured $125M+ in grant funding, and achieved $1B+ in capital savings. Integrated MLB, NFL, nonprofit, and private development partners into a unified civic framework.
$1.5B
Paycor Stadium & Great American Ball Park
Designed and implemented multi-phase capital stack modeling and innovative public financing structures, coordinating public funding deployment across successive implementation stages. Structured risk allocation frameworks and oversaw ongoing fiscal compliance monitoring to ensure long-term financial stability for both major league institutions.
$600M
Liberty Center & Butler County Mixed-Use Development
Structured innovative private, local, and state capital sources within a public-private partnership framework. Developed implementation and funding compliance documentation, secured and deployed capital, and oversaw project development, budget compliance, and financial performance monitoring throughout phased delivery.
Guiding Principles

Philosophy of Leadership

Tom Gabelman’s approach to leadership is grounded in a conviction that finance, governance, and mission are not competing priorities — they are mutually reinforcing. The institutions he has served longest are those where financial discipline and human purpose are held together with equal gravity.

This is precisely the model DePaul Cristo Rey already lives: a school where academic formation and corporate partnership are designed as one unified system. Tom Gabelman has spent four decades building exactly these kinds of structures — ones where financial discipline and human purpose reinforce each other rather than compete.

At the heart of his civic identity is servant leadership: the conviction that those who lead public and mission-driven institutions serve at the pleasure of the communities they work within, and are accountable for the outcomes those communities depend on.

Mission First
Financial sustainability in service of human mission — never the other way around. Every governance structure, every capital decision, should trace a clear line to the people it ultimately serves.
Disciplined Long-Range Thinking
Transformative outcomes require 10-, 20-, and 25-year horizons. The willingness to commit to phased, patient implementation is what separates lasting institutions from temporary initiatives.
Earned Trust as Foundation
Sustainable partnerships — with boards, corporate leaders, donors, and communities — are built through transparent stewardship and consistent delivery over time. Credibility is the currency of civic leadership.
Civic & Community Service

Sustained Civic Leadership

Hamilton County Mental Health & Recovery Services Board
Board Chair  ·  2001–Present
Fiduciary governance and public funding oversight for a $100M+ annual behavioral health system serving children, adolescents, and families across a 36-agency regional network. Directed the merger of two separate Mental Health and Addiction Services agencies into one unified structure — saving tens of millions annually for direct services. Led five successful mental health levy campaigns generating approximately $47M in annual agency funding.
Kelly-Carol Foundation for Children with Cancer
Co-Founder & Board President  ·  2000–Present
Established all-volunteer 501(c)(3) providing direct financial assistance to families of children with cancer throughout the Midwest. Approximately 95–96% of funds directed to direct patient and family support. Partnerships with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Build Our New Bridge Now Coalition
Executive Committee; Secretary/Treasurer  ·  2011–2026
Fundraising and advocacy leadership within Greater Cincinnati’s business community for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor. Federal advocacy strategy resulting in $1.6B in secured infrastructure grants. Fiscal oversight and bi-state stakeholder alignment.
Summit Country Day School
Board of Trustees Advisor; Coach
Board counsel and strategic advisor to the Board and Head of School during institutional crisis following a catastrophic partial structural collapse of the main campus building. Directed financial recovery, enrollment stabilization, and public communications. Coached baseball and basketball.
St. Mary Parish
President, Athletic Association; Youth Coach
Volunteer leadership and youth coaching in baseball, basketball, and soccer — a decades-long personal commitment to youth formation and community service rooted in Catholic faith.
ARC — Hamilton County
Board Chair
Board leadership for Hamilton County’s ARC, advancing services and advocacy for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families across the region.
Recognition

Honors & Distinctions

Chambers USA
Finance & Construction Law
Best Lawyers in America
Multiple consecutive years
Super Lawyer
State of Ohio
AV Preeminent
Martindale-Hubbell (highest rating)
Leading Lawyer
Cincinnati Business Magazine
Forty Under 40
Cincinnati Business Courier
Phi Beta Kappa
University of Cincinnati
Commencement Orator
University of Cincinnati
Distinguished Citizen Award
Hamilton County
Leadership Cincinnati Class of XXIII
Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce
Academic Formation

Education

Juris Doctor
University of Cincinnati College of Law
Foundation of a 40-year career advising governments, institutions, and communities on the most complex legal and financial frameworks in Ohio.
Bachelor of Arts, Summa Cum Laude
University of Cincinnati  ·  Political Science
Phi Beta Kappa  ·  Commencement Orator  ·  Alpha Lambda Delta
Omicron Delta Kappa  ·  Men of Metro Service Honorary
Get In Touch

Ready to Serve DePaul
Cristo Rey’s Mission

Tom Gabelman brings four decades of governance, fiduciary stewardship, and corporate partnership leadership — and a lifelong Catholic faith — to the presidency of DePaul Cristo Rey High School.

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