Thomas L. Gabelman is a lifelong Catholic executive leader —
shaped by faith, parish service, and a deep commitment to students
and families facing meaningful barriers — who has spent four
decades building, structuring, and sustaining complex,
multi-stakeholder initiatives across Greater Cincinnati and the
nation.
For nearly three decades as Project Counsel to the Hamilton County
Board of Commissioners, he served as chief architect of
Cincinnati’s most consequential civic investments —
including The Banks riverfront redevelopment ($3B) and its anchor
institutions: Great American Ball Park, Paycor Stadium, Smale
Riverfront Park, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center,
the Brady Music Center, the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, and the
Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame.
These projects were not merely economic developments. They were
intentional investments in shared civic space — honoring
history, elevating diverse voices, strengthening cultural identity,
and creating places where the full story of the community could be
seen, learned, and celebrated.
He likewise served as lead counsel to the Ohio Department of
Transportation for the $5B+ Brent Spence Bridge Corridor, among
the largest bi-state infrastructure initiatives in the United
States.
Across these endeavors, he functioned as capital strategist,
governance architect, and cross-sector unifier — aligning
public officials, private investors, corporate partners, nonprofit
institutions, and community stakeholders around disciplined
financial frameworks and long-term institutional sustainability.
His “Smart P3” approach — integrating
infrastructure, governance, and community formation within
disciplined financing frameworks — mirrors the core insight
of DePaul Cristo Rey’s Corporate Work Study Program:
financial sustainability and human development are strongest when
intentionally designed as one system.
