Michael Wager is an attorney with the law firm of Squire Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P. Wager has served as counsel, advisor and director of several private and public companies, and in 1994, he earned the designation of "Dealmaker" from The American Lawyer magazine. He has served as chairman of a Cleveland-based private equity firm and frequently speaks on matters involving capital formation, securities regulation and change of control transactions.

In addition to serving as Chairman of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, Wager is active in several other civic and philanthropic organizations. He is a board member of the Northeast Ohio Development Fund LLC, The Montefiore Foundation and the West Ecumenical Ministry and serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland. He remains active in national leadership on the Renaissance and Renewal Pillar of the United Jewish Communities and the Jewish Council on Public Affairs.

Wager also serves on the selection committee of the American Marshall Memorial Fellowship (an affiliate of the German Marshall Fund) and as a member of the Advisory Board of the National Leadership Council of the Ireland Cancer Center of University Hospitals of Cleveland.

He previously served as a board member for the Gateway Economic Development Corporation of Greater Cleveland (owner of Jacobs Field and Quicken Loans Arena (The “Q”)), the Cleveland Foundation's Task Force on Economic Development and the Mayor's Convention Center Task Force.

Wager received a bachelor’s degree in 1973 from The American University, a master’s degree in 1976 from Columbia University and a juris doctorate from New York University School of Law in 1981.