Dwayne Sawyer (born 1966) is an American politician from the state of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, Sawyer was the 55th

Indiana state auditor The Indiana State Auditor is a constitutional and elected office in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. State of Indiana. The Auditor of Indiana is elected to a four-year term and is subject to term limits where the officeholder is b ...

. He resigned as state auditor on November 26, 2013 citing "personal and family reasons". Sawyer was previously a member of the

Brownsburg, Indiana Brownsburg is a town in Hendricks County, Indiana, United States. The population was recorded to be 21,285 residents at the 2010 Census, an increase from the 14,520 residents in 2000. the estimated population was recorded to be 27,001 residents. ...

Town Council, where he served as council president from 2012 to 2013. On August 15, 2013, Sawyer was appointed by Governor

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th ...

to serve as Indiana state auditor; filling the vacancy created by the departure of Tim Berry, who resigned after he was appointed chair of the

Indiana Republican Party The Indiana Republican Party is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in the state of Indiana. The chairman of the Indiana Republican State Committee is Kyle Hupfer. History Republicans dominated Indiana from the 1860s to the 19 ...

. Sawyer was sworn in by Indiana Chief Justice Brent Dickson on August 19, becoming the first African-American Republican to hold statewide office in Indiana.

Early life and education

Sawyer is a 1984 graduate of Peru Senior High School in

Peru, New York Peru is a town in Clinton County in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 6,772 at the 2020 census. The town was so named for its views of the Adirondack Mountains to the west and the farmlands throughout the town, resembling scenery fou ...

. He attended

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

, graduating in 1989 with a degree in computer technology. He was a member of the

Phi Kappa Tau Phi Kappa Tau (), commonly known as Phi Tau (), is a collegiate fraternity located in the United States. The fraternity was founded in 1906. As of November 2022, the fraternity has 161 chartered chapters, 79 active chapters, 6 Associate chapte ...

fraternity.

Career

Before entering politics, Sawyer spent his career in the private sector; holding financial management positions for

Roche Diagnostics F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, commonly known as Roche, is a Swiss multinational healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, Roche Holding AG, has shares listed on the SIX S ...

Dow AgroSciences Dow AgroSciences LLC was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Dow Chemical Company specializing in not only agricultural chemicals such as pesticides, but also seeds and biotechnology solutions. The company was based in Indianapolis, Indiana, in ...

and

Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company is an American pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with offices in 18 countries. Its products are sold in approximately 125 countries. The company was founded in 1876 by, and named after, Colonel ...

. Since 2010, Sawyer has worked as a Senior Software Engineer for Positron Corporation, a nuclear cardiology technology research and development company. Sawyer serves as the secretary of Indiana's 4th district Republican Committee and also serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Hendricks County Republican Party. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Indiana Leadership Forum and the Hendricks County Regional Health

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

. In 2013, Sawyer was also appointed by Governor Mike Pence to serve on the Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males.

Brownsburg Town Council

Sawyer was elected to the Brownsburg Town Council in December 2008 by the

Hendricks County Hendricks County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 145,448. The county seat is the town of Danville. Hendricks County is the third largest county in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderso ...

Republican Party precinct committee, after council member Ronna Jessen resigned from serving Brownsburg's 2nd Ward. Sawyer, the first African-American to hold elected office in Hendricks County, was sworn in on January 10, 2009 by Hendricks County Superior Court Judge Robert Freese, being introduced by

Indiana Secretary of State Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th st ...

Todd Rokita Theodore Edward Rokita (born February 9, 1970) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 44th and current Attorney General of Indiana. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from from 2011 to 2019. A memb ...

. Sawyer ran unopposed in the May 2011 Republican primary, winning reelection in the November general election. Sawyer became Brownsburg Town Council President in January 2012, resigning in August 2013 to assume the position of State Auditor of Indiana. As council President, Sawyer helped lead efforts in the controversial annexation of Brownsburg. In a 3-2 council vote, Sawyer voted in favor of allowing the 4,500 acre annexation of the northern borders, doubling the size of the city for future growth and expansion. Sawyer has advocated for a 0.3% raise in local income taxes to support the expansion of mass transit, pushing the

Indiana General Assembly The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate. ...

to support legislation for individual counties to allow referendums for such an increase to support county highway transportation projects.

Indiana state auditor

Sawyer was appointed

by Governor

on August 15, 2013. He was later sworn in as the 55th auditor on August 19, 2013. Sawyer's term would only last a little over three months. On November 26, 2013, he submitted a letter of resignation to Governor Pence citing "personal reasons". In a written statement, Sawyer explained his resignation: “Due to family and personal concerns, I have come to the conclusion that it will be in the best interests of my family and the people of Indiana whom I have been honored to serve that I resign from the office of Indiana auditor of state.” To date, Governor Pence has yet to explain the exact nature of Sawyer's resignation. On December 5, 2013,

Indiana Democratic Party The Democratic Party of Indiana is the affiliate of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Indiana. The Indiana Democratic Party currently holds two of Indiana's United States congressional delegations from I ...

Chair John Zody submitted a public records request with Governor Pence's office seeking further information regarding the Governor's vetting process for appointments and the exact reason for Sawyer's resignation. On December 16, 2013, Republican State Representative

Suzanne Crouch Suzanne Crouch (born February 27, 1952) is an American politician who has served as the 52nd lieutenant governor of Indiana since 2017. She previously served as the 56th state auditor of Indiana. She is a candidate for Governor of Indiana in 20 ...

was appointed by Governor

to replace Sawyer as

Indiana State Auditor The Indiana State Auditor is a constitutional and elected office in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. State of Indiana. The Auditor of Indiana is elected to a four-year term and is subject to term limits where the officeholder is b ...

Personal life

Sawyer is married to Melissa Sawyer. They've lived in Brownsburg since 2001 with their three children, who he and his wife home school. Sawyer also enjoys playing the

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

References

External links

Indiana State Auditor Home Page
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sawyer, Dwayne 1966 births Purdue University alumni Indiana Republicans Indiana State Auditors Indiana city council members Living people People from Brownsburg, Indiana People from Peru, New York African-American people in Indiana politics 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people