Joseph L. Chillo, LP.D., became the 15th president of Thomas More University on June 1, 2019. Under his leadership, Thomas More University has successfully received SACSCOC reaffirmation and strengthened its financial position through endowment growth, improvement of the U.S. DOE Composite Score, and fundraising. Only one year following his appointment as president, in September 2020, President Chillo was named one of the area’s most powerful business leaders by Cincinnati Magazine’s 2020 Cincinnati 300; and subsequently in 2021, 2022 and 2023 as well. In 2021 the Northern Kentucky Tribune named President Chillo among its NewsMakers, a recognition reserved for high-achieving, community servant leaders who play a significant role in Northern Kentucky.
President Chillo’s direction has guided the University to unprecedent financial growth as measured by its endowment, which has grown by more than $15M since 2019, through fundraising and the implementation of a financial reserve. In 2021, the University launched its first comprehensive capital campaign. Since the launch of the Second Century Campaign, the University has raised more than $34M. In addition, President Chillo has expanded the campus footprint through the purchase of additional real estate and construction of a new academic center on-campus which will open in summer 2024.
President Chillo has developed a number of strategic regional partnerships that have expanded the reputation and reach of the University, including the naming opportunities of the Florence Y’alls baseball stadium to Thomas More Baseball Stadium and membership to the NCAA DII. Under President Chillo’s leadership a new strategic plan aimed at enriching student success, academic innovation, and responsible stewardship has been guiding the University since 2021.
President Chillo – a first-generation college student - holds his bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University, a Master of Public Administration from Long Island University, and a Doctor of Law and Policy from Northeastern University. President Chillo and his wife, Laura, reside in northern Kentucky and have two teenage children – a son who attends Belmont University and a daughter who attends Villa Madonna Academy.