About Tom

Meet Tom McDermott

Thomas McDermott, Jr. is the 20th Mayor of Hammond, Indiana’s 8th largest city. Over his 18 years as Mayor, Tom has brought in over a billion dollars in economic development to the city and has helped fund thousands of students’ higher education dreams with the College Bound Scholarship Program.

Tom served six years in the United States Navy as a nuclear submariner aboard the USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709) during the Persian Gulf War. He served as a nuclear electrician in the sub's reactor plant and passed the strenuous U.S. Navy Dive School to become the ship's only diver.

After the Navy, Tom attended Purdue Northwest, earning high honors in Finance while working full time. Law school took Tom to South Bend, where he attended the University of Notre Dame. There, Tom worked in the school's Legal Aid office, providing legal services for the less fortunate. After receiving his law degree, Tom returned to Hammond to open his own law practice.

The initiative that Mayor Tom is most proud of, however, is the award-winning Hammond College Bound Scholarship Program, which has provided full-tuition scholarships to thousands of Hammond's graduating seniors. This program has received national attention and has been twice awarded the U.S. Conference of Mayor's City Livability Award.

Tom and his wife, Marissa, are proud parents to four children. Following 18 years of coaching youth baseball, Tom has recently turned to competing in triathlons. He is also a member of the St. John Bosco parish and numerous boards and community organizations.

Tom McDermott brings to his office a combination of real-world experience and old-fashioned love for his roots. Together, these create a man who is bringing positive change to Hammond and who wants to bring positive change to Indiana.