Mary Margaret is a dynamic, energetic, and resourceful professional with over 30 years of experience working in business. She has a knack for working collaboratively to develop team members, inspire leadership, and promote personal development. She challenges people to think about possibilities. Her mantra is “Fail forward, fast. Challenge the process but inspire the vision. Build a legacy by lifting those around you.”
Mary Margaret’s background includes significant public sector experience, working in state government, in non-profit organizations, and in local service organizations of McHenry County. Her previous roles include Managing Exemplar Tax and Accounting and leading the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce, growing it into the sixth largest chamber in the state. She taught business, marketing, and international business at McHenry County College. She has helped entrepreneurs start their businesses in her role as Director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center where she worked with hundreds of clients preparing for a business launch, funding acquisition, product development, or sale. She oversees the Ride United Last Mile delivery Program for the United Way of Greater McHenry County which closes the transportation gap between Food Pantries and the clients they serve.
In March of 2022, Mary Margaret partnered with Adam Ruiz to launch Madam’s Garden, LLC a hydroponic vertical farm in Ringwood that grows fresh, sustainable and pest-free microgreens and is produced locally and available year round.
She is active in the community serving on boards including Big Brothers Big Sisters and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of McHenry County.
She is a collaborator who excels in relationship building and interdisciplinary work group settings. She has a broad lens towards system analysis and has facilitated change management for innovative process solutions at other institutions.
She holds a Master of Business Administration from the College of William & Mary and a Bachelor of Arts from Old Dominion University.
Mary Margaret believes in servant leadership and has the skills to lead, inspire, and engage members of different viewpoints. Her philosophy involves building bridges across communities for engaged thought leadership. Mary Margaret is a veteran's daughter, a veteran's mother, and a veteran's wife. She is active in veteran-related causes and is the founder and facilitator of Voices of Veterans, a writing group open to veterans and their families.
