Before coming the House, Cavanagh served four terms as a Wayne County Commissioner where he worked to improve the delivery of mental health services throughout the county, especially focusing on services provided to children.He served as an appointee to the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Agency, where he helped balance the agency’s budget.Cavanagh was also a member of the Commission’s Committee on Health and Human Services, which is responsible for oversight of public health services throughout the county.

Cavanagh earned a bachelor’s in Business Administration and a bachelor’s in accounting from Aquinas College and a master’s in Business Administration and a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy. Cavanagh has also completed the Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Cavanagh is a practicing attorney and has won numerous awards for his service to the community, including 2008 “Child Advocate of the Year” from Vista Maria - Michigan’s largest non-profit residential and community-based treatment agency for abused and neglected girls.

Cavanagh and his wife, Lily, are the proud parents of three daughters- Erin, Veronica and Mary, who all attend college in Michigan.