Chamber chief Humphries to discuss his life

Staff report

LIBERTY

Tom Humphries, chief executive officer of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, will discuss his professional life at 10 a.m. Saturday in the meeting room of Kravitz Deli, 3135 Belmont Ave.

Humphries’ presentation is part of the Memories of a Lifetime speakers series, sponsored by the William Holmes McGuffey Historical Society.

The program is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served and a good will offering will be accepted to benefit the society. There also will be a 50/50 raffle.

Reservations are required and can be made by calling Richard S. Scarsella, society chairman, at 330-726-8277. Walk-ins will be admitted based upon seat availability.

Humphries, who will end his tenure with the Chamber at the end of the year, has led the business organization since 1997. During the past 20 years, the Chamber has experienced growth in both total number of members and its array of services.

Humphries implemented an aggressive economic development and marketing program to help the region develop a balanced economy, increase employment, diversify its tax base and create a better quality of life. His efforts included recruiting business, industry and retail to the region as well as entertaining, hosting, and arranging tours of the region’s facilities. The Chamber markets the region nationally and internationally.

Humphries was the driving force behind the creation and implementation of the Chamber’s From Steel To Scholars program, which encouraged the region’s 45 public school districts to achieve Excellent and Effective ratings on Ohio’s Report Card. He was also instrumental in securing funding to form the Eastern Ohio P-16 Partnership For Education, which works to foster post-secondary success and career readiness by creating a system of education that is student-centered, high-performing and responsive to community need.

Before joining the Chamber, Humphries was the general manager of Ohio for Sprint Corp. He is also the principal of Data Voice Systems Review Inc., which implements telecommunications and associate services for companies across North America.

Humphries is a member and vice chairman of the Ohio Board of Regents; chairman of the Ohio Local Government Innovation Fund Council; a founding member and board member of Team NEO; and member and past chairman of the Metro Chambers of Ohio. He has also served on the boards of JumpStart Inc., the Youngstown Foundation and Youngstown Business Incubator.

The Youngstown State University graduate, who also received his certificate in executive management from Duke University, is a veteran of the U.S Air Force.

He lives in Girard with his wife of 50 years, Cathy. They have two sons and two grandchildren.