Baer previously served as chief of staff and a cabinet member at U-M’s largest school, the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA), for six years. In that role, he advised the dean and worked alongside the senior leadership team to plan and execute strategic priorities for the college. Baer also had broad leadership responsibility in LSA for organizational effectiveness across human resources, departmental administration, and academic affairs.
Before serving as the chief of staff at LSA, Baer held leadership roles at the University of Michigan’s Law School, including in the career planning and admissions offices, where he worked with a range of University stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, prospective students, employers, and alumni.
Before transitioning into higher education, Baer practiced law in both the public and private sectors. He served as an assistant US attorney for the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Georgia, where he was the chief of the Financial Litigation Unit. Before his federal service, Baer practiced law at Covington & Burling, in Washington, DC, where he worked on complex, high-stakes cases.
Baer is a first-generation college graduate and a believer in the transformative power of higher education.
