Loren W. Semler added as Carthage trustee
Adding to a multigenerational family legacy, business executive Loren W. Semler ’96 has been elected to the Carthage Board of Trustees.
Mr. Semler, president and chief operating officer of Semler Industries, joined the board in advance of its October 2022 meeting. The Board of Trustees has ultimate governing and fiduciary responsibility for the College.
“I am simply thrilled to welcome to the board the next generation of leadership from the Semler family. No family has been more connected, over more generations, to Carthage than the Semlers, who are all exemplars of all that the College seeks to accomplish,” said President John Swallow. “I look forward to the careful insights Loren W. can provide into higher education, within the special context of his deep love for Carthage, in the years ahead.”
The younger Semler holds an Executive MBA from Loyola University Chicago, in addition to his bachelor’s degree in business administration. He has held various positions at Semler Industries since joining the staff in the late 1990s.
Based in Franklin Park, Illinois, the family-owned company is a leader in industrial filtration and liquid handling. At times, Carthage alumni have composed up to one-third of its workforce.
A resident of Libertyville, Illinois, Mr. Semler served as treasurer at Grace Lutheran Church’s council and contributed his expertise on various committees for the congregation. He takes part in the Renaissance Executive Forum, a peer advisory group for business leaders.
As members of both the Leadership and Alford Park giving societies, Mr. Semler and his wife, Karen (Vesely) Semler ’96, are loyal and generous donors. Their gifts have supported new facilities, athletic programs, and financial aid — including the Bridge Scholarship, which Mr. Semler’s parents established to help Carthage students whose changing financial circumstances threaten their education.
The oldest of the couple’s three children is a Carthage sophomore. In all, since Mr. Semler’s parents planted the roots on the previous campus in western Illinois, nearly two dozen members of the extended family have attended the College.