Thomas C. Chernisky is a Cambria County Commissioner. He grew up in Patton, in northern Cambria County, and now resides in Geistown. He is the father of two daughters, Taylor and Megan, and on July 8, 2020, he became a grandfather to a granddaughter, Emerson.

This will be Commissioner Chernisky’s fourth consecutive term in office with two terms as President Commissioner. On January 2, 2024, Commissioner Chernisky will be sworn as the three-time top vote getter amongst all Commissioner candidates, making him the second longest serving Commissioner in Cambria County history.

Tom was a Cambria County Jury Commissioner for two and a half terms (10 years) until his swearing in as County Commissioner in January of 2012. He also served twice as the President of the Pennsylvania State Association of Jury Commissioners. For his innovative ideas in the Jury Commissioners’ Office in Cambria County and the State of Pennsylvania, he earned the Liberty Bell Award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers’ Division. He was a Financial Services Representative for MetLife for more than 25 years and earned the industry designations of Certified in Long-Term Care (CLTC) and Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow (LUTCF).

He has been very involved in the community over the years. He is a past Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Cambria County Drug Coalition and currently serves on their board. He is currently a committee person for the Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame. In the past, he was a committee person for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He has also served on the Community Action of Cambria County Board where he received
the Paul Bennett Community Service Award/or Leadership on two different occasions, with his most recent achievement in 2012. Other boards that he served on in the past include the Cambria County Transit Authority and the Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority. He is a past member of the Geistown Borough Planning Commission, as well.

Other accolades he is proud of include the following. Tom completed the Partnership Program of the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) on October 29, 2021. He is only the second Commissioner in Cambria County history to graduate from the Commissioners’ School for Excellence sponsored by the County Commissioners’ Association of Pennsylvania in November 2018. In May 2019, he was the recipient of the Excellence in Advocacy by an Elected Official Award for his excellence in advocating for and participating in recovery­ focused community events and responding to community-identified recovery support needs from Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania. He is also a three-time Cow Milking Champion at Vale Wood Farms, Loretto, PA, and the first sitting Commissioner to win the contest.

Tom is an avid runner and participates in many community-based 5k and 10k races. He completed the Johnstown Path of the Flood, his first half marathon, in May 2014. On May 7, 2017, he completed his first marathon, the Pittsburgh Marathon. He also completed the 50K Ghostown Trail Challenge held on June 15, 2019. His most recent accomplishment is finishing the newly completed 14.6 mile, Path of the Flood Trail on May 27, 2023.

In his spare time, he umpires professional baseball games. He also operates the shot clock for St. Francis University men’s and women’s basketball games.