Mary Sue Barrett

Mary Sue Barrett is president of the Metropolitan Planning Council, an independent, nonprofit group of business and civic leaders working to achieve policies that enhance the vitality and livability of the Chicago metropolitan region.

Ms. Barrett assumed the role of MPC president and board member on April 1, 1996. During her tenure, MPC has strengthened its relationships with employers and is increasingly called upon to untangle local development and regional policy challenges. Known for bringing the right people together at the right time, MPC has expertise that spans infrastructure, housing, environment, land use, and tax policies.

Prior to joining MPC, Ms. Barrett served in Mayor Richard M. Daley's first administrations, holding positions of increasing responsibility over seven years. In 1995, she was recruited to serve as chief of staff to the Chicago School Reform Board of Trustees, part of a new management team charged with bringing revolutionary change to the Chicago Public Schools. From 1993 through 1995, MarySue Barrett was chief of policy for Mayor Daley, where she coordinated initiatives on public safety, economic and community development, and lifelong education. Ms. Barrett began her municipal government work in 1989 in the Mayor's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and counts among her top accomplishments Chicago's successful implementation of community policing and neighborhood redevelopment projects. Ms. Barrett also spearheaded the City's successful bid to host the 1996 Democratic National Convention.

Ms. Barrett serves on the Advisory Boards of Chicago Metropolis 2020, Chicago Transit Authority, the Harris School's Visiting Committee at the University of Chicago, and Illinois Issues magazine.

She volunteers on the nonprofit board of Leadership Greater Chicago and also is active with The Chicago Network and the Economic Club of Chicago.

Ms. Barrett has been selected to participate in leadership exchanges sponsored by the International Women's Forum (1996), the American Council on Germany (1996), the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations (1997), and the British American Project (2003) and Rockefeller Foundation and Brookings Institution (2007). She completed the Leadership Greater Chicago program in 1994 and was honored that same year as one of Crain's Chicago Business "40 Under 40."