When Ray McGury arrived in Naperville in the mid-1980s as a newly hired Naperville police officer, he knew very little about the city.
“I was calling it ‘Nap-erville.’ I go, what the heck is in Naperville? I’ve never heard of this place,” the native Chicago South Sider said. But “lo and behold, (Naperville) was the best-kept secret.”
His police job would be the first chapter in what would be an unorthodox public career. He was a captain with the Naperville Police Department when he became the Bolingbrook chief of police in 2005 and then, three years later, took over as the executive director of the Naperville Park District, a job he would hold for more than 13 years.
His last day on the job was Tuesday. His next role will be as executive director of the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association in Burr Ridge.
It’s not as big a shift as it might appear on paper — McGury’s been on the Naperville Area Humane Society Board for many years — but moving into a new field is an opportunity and challenge he’s looking forward to, he said.
“I’ve had dogs my whole life but really have a passion for animal care and welfare,” McGury said.
Beyond that, Chicago Veterinary Medical Association Board President Kirsten Plomin said, what McGury brings to the job is “experience in leadership and nonprofit management (that) will bring new insight to the CVMA and aid in our growth over the coming years.”
McGury earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from St. Xavier University in Chicago and a master’s degree in public administration from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and the Rocky Mountain Executive Management Program.
He’s taught classes on leadership at Marquette, Lewis, and Northwestern universities.
A successful leader can make the jump from one organization to another seamlessly, McGury said.
“It’s all the same. You can take a leader that works for Sara Lee as their CEO, he or she can move and become CEO of a widget company. Leadership is transferable – you either have it or you don’t,” he said.
When the Naperville Park Board made the unorthodox move to hire a police chief as its new park district’s executive director, it was clear they wanted to try something new. Before McGury, the district had gone through eight directors in 12 years, the last of which left after just five months.
The decision came with its share of criticism — how could a police officer have the skills needed to oversee a park district?
He decided to apply in part because he had a lot of interaction with the district when his three now-adult sons played soccer and he was a volunteer coach. He even tried to win an elected seat on the park board in the mid-1990s.
“People would be asking me (when I was a coach) where did you learn that, how did you teach these kids to stay in their lanes and run straight down the field,” McGury said. “I learned it from people a lot smarter than I am.”
The park district relies on people getting involved, and that gave him a vantage point that he brought to the job, he said. “I enjoyed what I did (as a volunteer),” he said. “We would not exist as an organization without volunteers.”
During his tenure, the city — and the park district — went through a tremendous amount of growth. Among the parks and facilities that were built or improved during McGury’s time include the Nike Sports Complex, Sportsman’s Park, Fort Hill Activity Center, Knoch Knolls Nature Center, Centennial Beach, the 95th Street Community Plaza and Wolf’s Crossing Community Park.
McGury acknowledged his straightforward, “no BS” persona earned him his share of supporters and critics along the way.
“These boards (I’ve worked with) have been phenomenal,” he said. “Have I had disagreements with the board members? Oh, god, yes. But that’s why I think we’re one of the best in the country.
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“The board can support or not support, can push back on things. That’s what good government is,” he said.
Guests and visitors often reached out to McGury, and they weren’t shy when it came to things they didn’t like, he said. Most recently, he said, many people were angered by the park district’s COVID-19 measures.
Good or bad, McGury said, he always listened to what they had to say, and that’s good advice for anyone in a leadership position.
“I’m not saying you need to agree to what everyone says, but you need to listen to what people have to say,” he said.
He knows some people were upset by the decision to end the use of Knoch Park for Naperville Ribfest, forcing the Exchange Club of Naperville’s annual fundraising event to relocate outside of the city, but it’s not one he regrets. The district wanted to add more ball fields to the park, and the grounds couldn’t withstand so many people using them over a four-day event, he said.
“At the end of the day, it was the right decision for the right reason — underscore that,” he said.
Among the things he’ll miss the most, he said, is his staff. “I’m sad that I will be leaving the best team I’ve ever had,” he said.
“We’ve done a lot of great, great things. But understand — and I know it sounds cliché — none of this gets done without the staff here and the support of the board and the community,” McGury said.
If there’s one thing he’ll take credit for, he said, it’s his successor. Recreation and Facilities Director Brad Wilson took over as executive director Wednesday. “Having (Wilson) step in, I’m proud of that, I’m proud of him. I think he’s going to do a great job,” McGury said.
“I can feel good about what I’m leaving and the people I am leaving. It’s been a very honorable and great ride,” he said.