Mary K. Wagoner

Mary is the Director, State and Local Finance at the Civic Committee. In this role, her work focuses on budgets, tax policy, and pensions for the State of Illinois and City of Chicago.

Since joining the Civic Committee in 2015, Mary has supported the work of the Tax Policy Task Force and State Finance Working Group. Her research and analysis on State budget, tax policies, and pensions has underpinned three published reports: Bringing Illinois Back: A Framework for our Future (2017), Restore Illinois: A Foundation for Growth (2019; lead author), and Securing Illinois’ Future: Stabilizing State Finances to Promote Long-Term Growth (2023; lead author).

Before joining the Civic Committee, Mary worked for the Arlington County Treasurer’s Office in Arlington, Virginia, where her duties included advising on legislative issues impacting the office.

Mary has a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago and a BA in Political Science from the University of Mary Washington. She is also an alumna of the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership’s Emerging Leaders Program.

In her free time, Mary enjoys spending time with family, traveling, cheering on the Washington Capitals, and baking.

CONTACT US | 21 South Clark Street Suite 4301, Chicago, IL 60603 | (312) 853-1200 | Fax (312) 853-1209

Copyright ©2019 The Commercial Club of Chicago | Photo Attributions