Alumni Hall of Fame
Academic and Professional Achievement (2020)

The Honorable Michael J. Bayer is a member of the Memorial High School Class of 1965. He received his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees from The Ohio State University in 1973 and 1977 respectively. In 1977, he received his Juris Doctorate from Capital University Law School.



Mr. Bayer enlisted in United States Army Officer Candidates School, served in active duty, and followed up by remaining in the National Guard. He served as Assistant to the Adjutant General of the State of Ohio. Michael Bayer is a retired Colonel in the Washington, D.C. National Guard.

He began his public service career as Counsel to the United States House of Representatives before serving as an assistant to United States Representative Clarence Brown (R-OH). In the early 1980's, Mr. Bayer served as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Department of Energy and Assistant Deputy Secretary in the Department of Commerce. He then served as a consultant to the 1984 presidential re - election campaign of President Ronald W. Reagan and Vice President George H.W. Bush. In 1991, after the downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie Scotland, President George H.W. Bush asked Mr. Bayer to lead the staff of a commission to investigate causality. In 2001, following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld asked Michael and Nobel Prize winner, Joshua Lederberg, to lead an investigation to identify future vectors of global terrorism.

Having served various capacities for several corporations, and having served on numerous government advisory boards and provided numerous advisory services, Michael, in 2021, is currently the President of Dumbarton Strategies, L.L.C. Mr. Bayer provides strategic advice to clients in the United States and Europe on matters of national security, aerospace, and energy. Michael has served at the highest levels of government and has been sought out for thoughtful analysis and sound advice from Presidents Ronald W. Reagan and George H.W. Bush, as well as every Defense Secretary from William Perry to Mark Esper, on a range of issues, from global terrorism to cyber security to security and counterterrorism. He has received the highest civilian awards the Department of Defense can issue which includes four Defense Distinguished Service medals, two Navy Distinguished Service Medals, and one Army Distinguished Service Medal.

Michael has also spent years raising millions of dollars for Warfighter Sports USA, one of the most effective warrior support foundations in America. He has also been a member of the Board of Visitors at West Point, a member of the National Press Club and University Club of Washington, and Vice Chairman of the Long Range Planning Committee of the National Guard Association, among others. For his excellence in his profession and his vital counsel and expertise in matters of national defense and security, the St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation inducts the Honorable Michael J. Bayer into the St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Foundation Hall of Fame for Academic and Professional Achievement.

The above text, in its entirety, is embossed on a St. Marys Memorial High School Alumni Hall of Fame plaque permanently on display in Memorial High School.