Hildenbrand Names Thomas Rowan Chief Deputy
Geauga County Sheriff-elect Scott Hildenbrand named Concord Township resident Thomas Rowan to be his chief deputy when he takes office Jan. 2.
Rowan — who met Hildenbrand many years ago when he worked with him at the Chardon Police Department — most recently worked part time for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in the court services division as a special deputy. He teaches part time at the police academies of Polaris Career Center, Kent State University and Youngstown State University.
Rowan attended Lake Superior State University and has a degree in natural resources. He began his law enforcement career with Geauga Park District in 1986 as a park ranger. In 1987, he was hired at Chardon Police Department and worked as a patrolman until 1996, when he was hired by the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
“We’ve known each other and worked with each other for very many years and he’s very qualified for the job,” Hildenbrand said via phone interview Thursday. “We worked together in Chardon. We’ve been friends a long time. He’s been a good friend. I know that he would do a real good job as chief deputy.”
In 1996, Rowan was the state wildlife officer assigned to Lake County and later transferred and worked for several years as the state wildlife office assigned to Ashtabula County. He went on to supervise the 2003 and 2005 Wildlife Officer Training Academies for new wildlife officer recruits, then transferred back to Lake County.
“I’m excited. Scott and I started our careers at the Chardon Police Department. We worked together for a long time,” Rowan said Thursday. “I’m very honored he chose me as the chief deputy there. I look forward to servicing the residents of Geauga County again.”
Rowan was promoted to District Law Enforcement Supervisor in 2010 to oversee law enforcement operations in the 19 northeast counties that comprise the wildlife district 3 area. In 2011, he was promoted to assistant chief of the division of wildlife, where he oversaw statewide law enforcement operations, statewide wildlife management operations, statewide fisheries operations and statewide information and education operations as well as the endangered species program and the division of wildlife flight operations. He retired from the division of wildlife in 2014 before he began working part time for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Rowan, who lives in Concord Township, said his history working in Chardon, the park district and the division of wildlife made him very familiar with Northeast Ohio and he is excited to be back working in Geauga.
“Everybody I have talked to said it’s a good group of employees and have nothing but positive things to say about all of them,” Rowan said of the sheriff’s office staff, adding he already knows several employees there, but is looking forward to meeting new people as well.
“I’ve heard it’s a really good place to work,” he said.
Hildenbrand said one main reason he chose Rowan is because he wanted someone who wasn’t exactly like him, who had his own opinions and wasn’t afraid to express those opinions.
“Someone who is not afraid to say to me, ‘I think we should think about this,'” Hildenbrand said.
Rowan echoed Hildenbrand, saying both he and Hildenbrand care about the county and how things are handled.
“If there’s a disagreement, we’re able to disagree with each other and come to a solution on any issue that we may have and take a hard look at it … and not have any hard feelings afterward,” Rowan said. “Sometimes, it’s nice to have someone you can bounce ideas off of, someone you can trust. And I think we have that relationship.”
Rowan is a member of the Lake County Rod and Gun club, a life member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, member of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Whitetails Unlimited and Ducks Unlimited, and the Wildlife Society. Rowan is also the president of the Ohio Game Protectors Association and the president of the Ashtabula Lakeshore 114 FOP lodge.
Rowan is married to Sabrina, a teacher at McKinley Elementary School in Fairport Harbor. They have a daughter, Macey, who attends West Virginia University.
