Profiles

Jonathan McGee

About

Jonathan McGee is a former IL State Government Executive, Civic Leader, Economic Developer, and current Senior Consultant at Baker Tilly US in the Public Sector Advisory practice, specializing in equitable economic development. With over 8 years of non-profit, public sector, and social impact experience, he recently served as a political appointee in Governor JB Pritzker's Administration as Director for the Office of Business and Workforce Diversity at the Illinois Department of Transportation. Previously, he was appointed as Director of Regional Economic Development at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity where he led a team of economic development leaders who drove business attraction, expansion, and retention efforts.

Jonathan's most notable achievements include:

• Spearheaded the historic Illinois Community Navigator Program which was adopted by the Biden-Harris Administration as an effective tool to increase access to capital for minority enterprises.
• Supported $4 billion in new company investments in Illinois, resulting in 250 relocations & expansions, and the creation of 13,000 jobs amidst a global pandemic.
• Led the State of Illinois Economic Response to COVID-19, by driving outreach, technical assistance, customer service, and economic support efforts for over 200,000 businesses, 8,000 communities, and millions of dislocated workers.
• Represented the Governor and Director of DCEO, at major company groundbreakings including Kimberly Clark Corporation, Ingersoll Machine Tools, and Lion Electric Company, resulting in the creation of over 1,000 jobs including the $75 million Ferrero Bloomington Expansion.

Jonathan began his career in Washington D.C as a non-profit leader at the Partnership for Public Service, Legislative Assistant for Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, and as Senior Marketing Director at the Graduate School of Political Management. Jonathan's mission is to revitalize how government serves constituents, especially constituents of color, by transforming the way government works through equity.

Jonathan has a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and Law Enforcement, holds a Master of Professional Studies in Political Management degree from The George Washington University, and a Masters of Business Administration from the Loyola University Chicago. He was recently named Chicago Defender's Man of Excellence in 2021, and WVON 40 under 40 Honoree in 2022.