Born in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, in 1949, Thomas J. O'Hara graduated from King's College in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in political science. He pursued theological studies at Moreau Seminary and the University of Notre Dame, earning a master's degree in theology in 1977. He was ordained as a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1978. Later, he completed his doctoral studies in political science at American University in 1988.
O'Hara's academic career is closely tied to his alma mater, King's College, where he joined the faculty in 1988 as an assistant professor of government and politics. In 1999, he became the eighth president of King's College, making history as the first alumnus to hold the office and eventually becoming its second longest-serving president before stepping down in 2011. His teaching career also spanned international borders, including appointments as an English professor at Notre Dame College in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and as a political science professor at the Philosophical Centre of Jinja in Uganda.
In addition to his academic work, O'Hara has held significant leadership roles within the Congregation of Holy Cross. He served as the Provincial Superior of the U.S. Province of Priests and Brothers from 2012 to 2018. Throughout his career, he has engaged in extensive pastoral and community service, working with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in Bangladesh, serving in parish ministries in Brooklyn, and sitting on the boards of trustees for several educational institutions, including the University of Notre Dame and Stonehill College.
