Hayes is now a part-time professor at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, where he teaches classes on state and local government and the legislative process.
Hayes held senior leadership positions in both the legislative and executive branches of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
As secretary of agriculture, he provided the leadership to establish the model protocols to eradicate avian influenza in poultry flocks and the plum pox virus in fruit orchards, established Pennsylvania as a national leader in farmland preservation, and expanded the Pennsylvania Farm Show complex to the largest exposition facility in the U.S. Hayes has served as a member of multiple boards and commissions, including the Pennsylvania State Board of Education.
A Vietnam War veteran, Hayes was also selected for the inaugural class of the National Army ROTC Hall of Fame.
Hayes and his wife, Elizabeth Keister ’63, live in Warriors Mark, Pa., and have three sons: Samuel, III; Lee; and Erick.