Rachel Skaggs is a Senior Vice President with GovHR USA and has over 10 years of experience in local government management. She has managed substantial capital and general budgets, developed utility policies, improved economic development initiatives, and handled multiple human resources functions.

Rachel Skaggs has over 10 years of experience in local government management in Illinois, including the Village of Montgomery, Village of Schaumburg and the City of Princeton. She has managed substantial capital and general budgets, developed utility policies, improved economic development initiatives, and handled all human resources tasks.
Rachel is a native of Walnut, Illinois and a graduate of Bureau Valley High School. She possesses a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois.

Rachel served as the City Manager for Princeton from 2015 – 2019. Princeton is an active City located two hours west of Chicago on Interstate 80. Princeton is unique in that it provides all their own city services including electric, water, sewer, garbage, cemeteries, and a city-owned hospital (one of two left in the State of Illinois). For a town of 7,800 people the City has a budget of over $25 million. The community is known for its significant historic buildings, with two downtown districts placed on the National Register of Historic Places. During Rachel’s tenure for the City of Princeton she completed numerous projects, including creating utility policies, developing operating and capital budgets, streamlining human resource operations, consolidating utility billing, refinancing debt and successfully negotiating multiple union contracts.
Prior to her time with the City of Princeton, Rachel served as the management analyst for the Village of Schaumburg and for the Village of Montgomery. During her time as management analyst she was responsible for human resources tasks, capital improvement planning, budgets, special events, and community outreach.

Rachel is passionate about community engagement, diversity inclusion and volunteerism. Rachel has co-authored two articles that focus on women in government and the history behind the low number of women in executive level positions in local government. Throughout her tenure as a City Manager, Rachel developed committees and commissions to help lead the City forward and to increase community engagement and volunteerism. Rachel believes that cities and towns all over can succeed with community interaction, citizen involvement, diversity inclusion and trust.

PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

• Master of Public Administration, Northern Illinois University
• Bachelor of Arts – English and Political Science, Northern Illinois University

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

• Presentation on Females in Local Government, ICMA Conference, Phoenix, Arizona (2012), The Legacy Project, ILCMA
• Public Management Magazine article “Women Leading Government” co-authored with Heidi Voorhees
• Public Voices XIII No. 2. article “Advancing Women in Local Government: The Case in Illinois” co-authored with Dr. Kimberly Nelson

MEMBERSHIPS AND AFFILIATIONS

• International City and County Management Association
• Illinois City/County Management Association
• Illinois Public Employer Labor Relations Association
• The Legacy Project
• Princeton Rotary Club

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

• City Manager, Princeton, IL 2015 – 2019
• Management Analyst, Village of Schaumburg, IL 2012 – 2015
• Management Analyst/HR Manager, Village of Montgomery, IL 2009 – 2012

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