Jesse Lothamer and John J.H. “Joe” Schwarz, M.D., were elected to the The University of Olivet Board of Trustees in October, according to an announcement from board chair Tom Kolassa. They will each serve a four-year term.
Lothamer is president and CEO of Lothamer Tax, a company he founded in 1979 which now serves 10 different locations in Michigan. He is a licensed CPA in the state of Michigan and enrolled agent on a national basis. He is also a member of the Michigan Association of CPAs.
After graduating from Olivet in 1974 with dual majors in business and economics, Lothamer went on to earn a master’s degree in accounting from Western Michigan University in 1975 and a juris doctorate from Cooley Law School in 1986. As a United States Marine, he received the Commanding General’s Certificate of Commendation in the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.
A resident of Okemos, Lothamer has frequently presented seminars educating CPAs and attorneys how to represent clients before the Internal Revenue Service. He has also taught courses in taxation at The University of Olivet.
Schwarz previously served the The University of Olivet Board of Trustees from 1991 to 2005, at which point he was named trustee emeritus.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1959 and medical degree from Wayne State University in 1964. Schwarz served his residency in otolaryngology at Harvard, finishing in 1974. He has been in private practice in Battle Creek for 37 years.
Schwarz served in Southeast Asia for five years, first with the U.S. Navy in Vietnam and as assistant naval attaché in Indonesia. He then served with the Central Intelligence Agency in Laos and in Vietnam.
Schwarz was city commissioner then mayor of Battle Creek from 1979 to 1986. He was in the Michigan Senate from 1987 to 2002, serving as president pro tempore of the Senate from 1993 to 2002. From 2005 to 2007 he was a member of Congress.
In 2004, Schwarz received a Doctor of Law, honoris causa, from The University of Olivet. He currently serves as a visiting lecturer in public policy at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
About the The University of Olivet Board of Trustees
The University of Olivet Board of Trustees pursues policies and programs in accordance with the college’s academic vision of Education for Individual and Social Responsibility. The board strives to provide the best possible environment for students, faculty and staff to teach, learn and develop their abilities.