Maureen Barry is a Senior Vice President with GovHR USA, specializing in helping public organizations to meet their management resources consulting needs. Widely recognized within her profession for her leadership, capabilities and commitment, she has over 28 years of combined experience working for local governments in the public and private sectors.
Prior to joining GovHR, Maureen spent nearly 13 years as a Municipal/Financial Advisor with the firms of Ehlers & Associates, Inc. and Stern Brothers & Co. assisting public organizations in the design and implementation of financial and economic development solutions. In these positions, she served as a financial advisor to over 40 Illinois local government clients on an on-going basis and numerous others to complete hundreds of projects involving debt issuance and management, financial planning, tax increment financing and other economic development tools. Prior to consulting, for 15 years she worked directly for municipalities, including the Village of Wilmette, IL, the City of Evanston, IL, and the City of Glendale, AZ, where among other responsibilities, she performed and managed multiple human resources related functions, including recruitment and selection and various analyses. While at the Village of Wilmette, she served as the HR Director and staff liaison to the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, overseeing hiring and promotional processes at all levels of those departments, in addition to other Village employment processes for positions ranging from department heads to front line staff.
Maureen’s local government operations expertise and familiarity with public managers and organizations throughout Illinois and the U.S. will prove valuable in her service to GovHR’s clients. She has worked with diverse groups of clients and public participants and has a talent for quickly discerning the culture and values of each individual community. In helping them to reach their goals, she emphasizes the importance of comprehensive planning and consensus-building from the earliest phases of the project and is adept in adjusting the plan as needed along the way.
A strong client service ethic is fundamental in Maureen’s approach to her engagements. GovHR clients can expect from her an approachable style, clear and steady communication, responsiveness, and effective, reliable, high-quality work products and processes.
Professional Education, Training and Instruction
- Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH
- Master of Public Affairs degree, O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
- Qualified Municipal Advisor Representative (Series 50) with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (inactive)
- Certified Independent Professional Municipal Advisor by the National Association of Municipal Advisors (inactive)
Professional Development and Speaking Engagements
- Speaker on various public finance and economic development topics at seminars and conferences sponsored by the following organizations from 2008-2018: Illinois City/County Management Association, Illinois Government Finance Officers Association, Illinois Municipal Treasurers Association, Illinois Tax Increment Association, and The Legacy Project, among others.
Memberships and Affiliations
- Illinois City/County Management Association (ILCMA)
- International City/County Management Association (ICMA) – Conference Scholarship 1995
- Illinois/Government Finance Officers Association (IGFOA and GFOA)
- Women in Public Finance (WPF) – Chicago Chapter Board member
- Lambda Alpha International (LAI), Ely Chapter, Chicago (Land Use Economics and Development)
- National Association of Municipal Advisors (NAMA)
- Illinois Tax Increment Association (ITIA)
- Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA)
- Illinois Municipal Treasurers Association (IMTA)
- The Legacy Project (Advancing Women in Local Government)
- Rotary Club of Wilmette Harbor – Past President, Past Foundation Board & Committee Chair, Board Member
- Rotary District 6440 – Past District Treasurer, Finance Committee/Chair, Grants Committee
Local Government Professional Background
15 Years of Local Government Leadership and Management; 13 years of Municipal/Financial Advisory Consulting
- Director/Municipal Advisor, Stern Brothers & Co., Chicago, IL 2019-2020
- Senior Municipal Advisor/Vice President, Ehlers & Associates, Inc., Chicago, IL 2008-2019
- Assistant Village Manager, Village of Wilmette, IL 2004-2008
- Assistant to the City Manager, City of Evanston, IL 2000-2004
- Management Assistant/Intern, City of Glendale, AZ 1995-2000
- Intern, Montgomery County Parks & Grounds, Dayton, OH 1992
