Naperville Park District
Ray McGury
Executive Director
Ray McGury joined the Naperville Park District in September 2008 with more than 27 years of community leadership, education, and law enforcement experience. In his role as Executive Director, Ray oversees a budget of more than $40 million and is responsible for the overall management of a staff of 100+, and more than 1,100 seasonal employees. As the head of the District, he is additionally responsible for directing the operations and maintenance of more than 140 parks and facilities across 2,500+ acres, and the offering of more than 1400 recreational, arts, athletic, and environmental programs for all ages.
Prior to his employment at the park district, Ray served as a leading law enforcement professional with the Naperville Police Department for more than 20 years, retiring at the rank of police captain, and later at the Bolingbrook Police Department where he served as the Chief of Police since 2005.
During his tenure at the Village of Bolingbrook, Ray developed a three-year strategic plan, promoted the creation and establishment of a new mission statement, and initiated several community programs including “Coffee with the Chief” and the “READ Program” for two Bolingbrook grade schools. As police captain at the City of Naperville, Ray was instrumental in drafting Illinois House Bill 1582, strengthening law enforcement’s ability to obtain personal identification on suspected pedophiles using Illinois libraries as a safe haven.
A recipient of numerous awards and honors, Ray has been honored by the Illinois State Crime Commission as Police Chief of the Year and received the Medal of Honor for Bravery from the International Narcotics Officers’ Association. He also received the Naperville Jaycees Distinguished Service Award, the Kreml Leadership Award from Northwestern University, and many others.
An involved community member, Ray has been active in the Illinois Special Olympics, the St. Baldrick’s Cure for Pediatric Cancer, Naperville Ribfest, and has been a volunteer coach for the Naperville and Bolingbrook park districts and YMCA. Additionally, he serves as an adjunct professor at the Center for Public Safety at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, an adjunct criminal justice professor at Lewis University in Romeoville, IL, an adjunct professional studies professor at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, and the Department of Homeland Security in Washington D.C. Ray also served as the Director of Security for the 2013 Edwards Hospital Marathon in Naperville, IL.
Ray holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from St. Xavier University and a Masters of Public Administration from Northern Illinois University. He also is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and the Rocky Mountain Executive Management Program.
Ray McGury
630-848-5000
www.napervilleparks.org