Ashley Eccles joined MGT in 2024. Ashley currently serves as a Senior Vice President directly conducting recruitments as well as offering general consulting services and strategic planning facilitation.
Ashley possesses nine years of professional experience in the public sector. She has a proven track record of strategic leadership and extensive experience in navigating complex municipal landscapes as a former Assistant Village Administrator. She has worked across three diverse suburban municipalities located in the Chicagoland area.
Ashley holds a unique perspective through her professional work fostering community relations and public safety initiatives, succeeding in both Village Hall and Police Station atmospheres. Eccles formerly managed a police department’s Community Relations Division and acted as the Village’s Public Information Officer/Spokesperson. She served as the Accreditation Supervisor for the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ILEAP) and ensured the department was compliant with all standards, policies, and procedures. She also organized and directed community-based special events and community relations programs. Ashley enjoys working with diverse stakeholder groups including senior officials, school districts, local business partners, public safety agencies, and various community members.
Ashley’s leadership experience has included planning and directing big picture and day-to-day administrative operations to ensure efficient and effective municipal services were in alignment with the established Strategic Plan. She has led cross-functional teams and possesses a multi-faceted background specializing in Human Resources, Communications, Information Technology, and Risk Management functions. She managed recruitment and retention efforts, collective bargaining strategies, administration of benefits, and the transition to the Intergovernmental Personnel Benefits Cooperative (IPBC). Additional projects included serving as primary claims coordinator through the Intergovernmental Risk Management Agency (IRMA); facilitation with a third-party vendor to perform a strategic IT review to audit internal IT processes and review Village infrastructure to highlight and prioritize areas needing improvement; and negotiating a multitude of contracts for improved service delivery and cost-effective pricing. She served as Chairperson of the Executive Safety and Sustainability Committees and liaison to the Algonquin/Lake in the Hills and Lake Zurich Area Chambers of Commerce.
She holds a Master of Public Administration from Pennsylvania State University and a graduate certificate in Public Sector Human Resources Management.
Professional Education
- Master of Public Administration, Pennsylvania State University, World Campus – University Park, Pennsylvania
- Bachelor of Arts, Communications & Public Relations, Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin
Memberships & Affiliations
- International City and County Management Association (ICMA), Current Member
- Illinois City/County Management Association (ILCMA), Current Member
- Illinois Association of Municipal Management (IAMMA), Current Member
- Illinois Public Employer Labor Relations Association (IPELRA), Current Member
- Former Member of the Legacy Project: Advancing Women in Local Government, 2015-2017
- Former Member of the McHenry County PIO Network, 2018-2022
- Former Member of the NE-IL PIO Network, 2018-2022
- Former Member of the National Information Officers Association (NIOA), 2018-2022
Professional Background\
9 Years of Local Government Experience
- Assistant Village Administrator, Antioch, IL, 2023-2024
- Assistant Village Administrator, Lake in the Hills, IL, 2022-2023
- Communications Coordinator, Lake in the Hills, IL, 2018-2022
- Management Analyst/Public Information Specialist, Hawthorn Woods, IL, 2016-2017
- Administrative Intern, Hawthorn Woods, IL, 2015
