Michael Hastings received two bachelor's of science degrees, one in leadership and management, the other in civil engineering, from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He then earned an M.B.A from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Juris Doctor from the John Marshall Law School. Hastings is a former Army Captain, where he served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and earned the Bronze Star. He is also the former vice president of high school district #230 in Illinois.