MarySue Barrett

MarySue Barrett is a super-connector. Through MSB Policy Consulting, LLC, she actively shares her knowledge and network to help institutions achieve outsized results. Her energy, make-it-happen attitude, and enthusiasm are contagious. She builds bridges between the public, private, community, and philanthropic sectors and is a passionate proponent of combining data, storytelling, and coordinated investments to unlock the vibrancy of urban areas. 

For 25 years, she was president of the independent Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC). Focused on the Chicago region, MPC has become a model for change-makers everywhere. Its 2017 Cost of Segregation study attracted national attention as institutions grappled with centering equity in their decisionmaking. MarySue grew MPC four-fold and attracted a diverse, talented staff and board that delivered bold, innovative solutions to complex problems spanning all aspects of the built environment: water infrastructure, transportation, affordable housing, tax policy, sustainability, and more. 

Since 2022, MarySue has completed projects for Brookings Metro (which she has collaborated with for more than 30 years), SPARCC, RW Ventures, the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). She currently spends the majority of her time advising philanthropist Ann M. Drake on programming and partnership for a new Women’s Leadership Center in Williams Bay, Wis., on the shores of Geneva Lake. MarySue also is a strategic communications advisor to M. Harris & Co., on a fresh vision for metropolitan Chicago’s future. 

Earlier, MarySue served as chief of policy for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. As the administration’s “new ideas entrepreneur,” she spearheaded community economic development, public safety, and education policy. She also coordinated innovation teams spanning 40 departments and seven city agencies, and built alliances with external partners in academia and foundations. 

MarySue is frequently tapped as a speaker and facilitator. In 2021, she completed two terms on the board of IFF (a Midwest community development financial institution) and continues as a board member of Current Water. She is also active with Leadership Greater Chicago and The Chicago Network. 

MarySue earned a bachelor of science degree in communications at Northwestern University. She completed the “Strategic Perspectives in Non-profit Management” program at Harvard Business School and antiracism training through Chicago ROAR. She is the mother of two young adults.