Peter Cunningham is the executive director of the State Bar of Michigan. In this role, he oversees the day-to-day operations of the State Bar, implements policies set by the Board of Commissioners and the Representative Assembly, and directs the efforts of State Bar staff.

Cunningham serves on the executive committees for the Justice for All Commission; the Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Michigan Judiciary; the Well-Being in the Law Commission; and the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. He also is a board member for the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society, fellow with the Michigan State Bar Foundation, and member of the National Association of Bar Executives and the American Bar Association. 

He joined the State Bar in 2012 as director of governmental relations and assumed the responsibilities of assistant executive director in 2015. In 2022, the Board of Commissioners named Cunningham to serve as the sixth executive director in the organization's history. He has an extensive career in public service in Michigan, including serving as chief of staff to the speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives. Immediately prior to coming to the Bar, Cunningham was executive director of the Michigan Campaign for Justice, a nonprofit created to promote improvement in Michigan's public defense system.  

Cunningham earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Juniata College and his master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He moved to Michigan in 1996 to further pursue his studies in anthropology at Michigan State University.

Cunningham lives in Okemos with his wife, Cathy Bacile Cunningham, and their two children, Harper and Owen.