A 33-year-old takes the helm at Port of Oswego Authority, the youngest person overseeing a major port in the U.S.
By Stefan Yablonski
Being “the youngest” gets old rather quickly.
Tom Drumm, 33, is a fifth-generation city of Oswego native. He and his wife, Trina (Katrina), split their time between Oswego and the village of Phoenix in southern Oswego County.
For years, he has been the youngest in whatever position he has held.
When he was sworn in as an Oswego County legislator more than a decade ago, he was just 22 — the youngest county legislator in the state. He is the former minority leader of the Oswego County Legislature.
This spring, he was named executive director of the Port Authority of Oswego — making him the youngest person overseeing a major port in the United States.
So, does it bother him that he is always being thought of “the youngest …”?
“Yes, yes. But I’m used to it at this point. I’ve been the youngest guy in the room since I’ve been involved in my professional life,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s cool, you know — it’s cool for about a week! Then you gotta get to work.”
Drumm replaces Thomas Schneider, who has served as interim executive director since William Scriber retired as head of the port authority at the end of 2024.
“I am proud to be here at the port, The age stuff … I’ve learned to deal with it for the last 10 or so years. It is what it is. You just get to work and try to do a good job,” he said.
Born and raised in Oswego, Drumm graduated from Oswego High School and went to Keuka College “right on Keuka Lake.” He graduated with a degree in political science and history.
“I announced my campaign for the Oswego County Legislature my second semester of my senior year,” he said. “I was traveling back and forth on weekends to campaign and when I graduated then I hit the campaign full-time. I served three terms on the legislature, six years total.
“I come from a really strong family. I am an only child and both my mom and dad are life-long Oswegonians. I am the son of a plumber and a social worker. My dad being a plumber and pipefitter for years and mom doing social work. I am a product of my parents. I take that as a badge of pride.”
The bulk of his professional career has really been outside of the city of Oswego, he said.
“I had about a three-year stint with the New York State United Teachers. I left there; had a very quick stint with them, like a quick cup of coffee, and then I decided to run for state senate; wasn’t successful in the primary. And then took a job with New York Attorney General Letitia James for about a year and a half. I was her director of intergovernmental relations for Central New York. I covered 18 counties,” he said.
What does he do for fun?
You have to carve out some down time for yourself, he said.
“I spend a lot of time with family. I have a great wife. We have been together for 12 years and married for two, coming up on three years, this August,” he added. “A lot of family time. We love the water, so we spend a lot of time on the water together. We are active boaters. So, yeah, when we get this weather, we try to take advantage of it.”
He is an avid golfer as well.
“I love to golf. Not so much these days; but I try to get out a couple times a week after work and kind of disconnect for a little bit,” he said. “Outside of that there’s not too much time for anything else these days. It’s been pretty busy. It is just a really unique opportunity. I settled into my office on April 6. Coming up on nine, 10 weeks here. It’s been a busy transition — work, sleep, repeat.”
Which is fine, he said, because “I was never really a true 9 to 5 kind of guy. I like a challenge. I like keeping busy and learning new things. Really, I like to try to make an impact. That is why this is such a unique opportunity for me. To be able to come back in a professional sense to Oswego and really have the ability to make an impact. My time working in and around government has prepared me to advocate fiercely for the infrastructure and investment the port deserves. We are pretty busy right now. This is the busiest time of our season. We have a lot of aluminum. We have taken on a lot of storage logistics for Novelis. We are as busy as it gets. It’s been a busy, busy time — which is good.”
The port does and will continue to make an impact, he added.
Family life
“We have a little family cottage up in Phoenix. We spend a lot of time up there in the summer,” he said. “We also have a spot in Oswego as well, my grandmother’s old homestead. We stay there. These days it is 90% Oswego. We sneak away to Phoenix some weekends and get on the water a little bit.”
Drumm said he has had a lot of good mentors through the years.
“One of Senator [Charles] Schumer’s long-time staffers Angelo Roefaro and a gentleman named Chris Alexander. Chris was actually the first New York State Commissioner for the Office of Cannabis Management. He gave me some great advice when I was young. He said just to be indispensable, find a way to make yourself indispensable — to be of value in any place that you go,” he said. “That one has always stuck with me.
“Any time you get into politics, you will run into — without a doubt at some point in your career — moral dilemmas. I am so thankful for sticking to my guns … there is always negotiating in politics and business for that matter. I’m proud that I have always when things got tough, you tell the truth and stick to your morals. That is the most important thing in my line of work; just knowing where your lines are and where you are not willing to cross into.”
“I think I have done a pretty good job of that during my career. That is how I was raised. That is what is important,” he continued. “I am lucky enough to have a good unit to go back to. I have a strong relationship with my wife. I have a strong relationship with my parents and the people that I surround myself with in my personal life. It helps make things more manageable.”
His wife, Katrina Drumm, is the executive director of the Oswego County Humane Society. She has been with the Humane Society since 2017 and in her current role since May of 2021.
The couple has two cats, Philbert (Phil) and Rudy, an orange cat and a black cat, he said.
Both felines are former OCHS fosters.
Docked at the port
“I have no plans for anything outside of this any time soon,” he said.
“It feels like I made certain steps to get to where I am now. I am not building toward anything anymore. I am here and I am dedicated and focused on what’s in front of me. I don’t have any ambitions for anything else. I have been the youngest in things for a while now. So, yeah, I am just really content where I am now and want to do the best job that I can and focus on the task at hand.”
Lifelines
Name: Tom Drumm
Position: Executive director and chief executive officer at Port of Oswego Authority
Birth Date: Jan. 10, 1993
Birth Place: Oswego
Residence: Oswego and Phoenix
Education: Keuka College, degree in political science and history
Personal: Wife, Trina; mother, Pam; father, Tom
Hobbies: Avid golfer and anything involving our waterways. A special affection for our river system
