Rosemary
McDonnell has over twenty years’ experience working in the public sector. She offers knowledge and experience in
contract negotiations for emergency preparedness and public safety, performance
measures, workforce development, continuous improvement, strategic planning,
and transportation planning. After
graduating from Bradley University in 1991, she began her career as a Program
Manager for the Pekin Park District. She developed recreational and education
programs for people with disabilities. This included creating the budget, program
evaluations, and strategies for each year.
After
returning to Chicago to complete her Master’s Degree (at DePaul University in
the School of Public Service), Rosemary continued to work in the nonprofit and
public sector. In 2000, Rosemary co-authored an Elected Officials Guide to
Performance Measurement, while she worked for the Government Finance
Officers Association.
After
she finished her Master’s Degree, she joined the Chicago Transit Authority as a
Transportation Planner. She assisted on numerous planning projects, including
ridership analysis and maximum peak loads. In addition, she represented the CTA
on the Senior Initiatives Council, a Citywide, Mayoral Initiative. The end
result was a comprehensive report, Neighborhoods Alive! With Seniors, which
included a needs assessment and recommendations for seniors in Chicago.
Her
planning work led her to the City of Chicago, where she did strategic planning
and internal consultation while at the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development
(MOWD). She developed processes and procedures to streamline workflow for
several internal Units. She assisted in the creation of a groundbreaking
evaluation tool, the 1000 Points of Quality: Quality Assurance System. In addition, she went through training and
subsequently became a certified Examiner for the Lincoln Foundation for
Performance Excellence in 2003 and 2004. She was also a Project Coordinator for
several workforce programs, including disabilityworks, a public-private partnership
to increase economic opportunities for people with disabilities.
She
left MOWD in 2006 and went to the City of Chicago, Office of Emergency
Management and Communications (OEMC) where she currently serves as a Grants
Research Specialist. In this role, she negotiates contracts for homeland
security contracts. She is in charge of researching all facets of emergency
preparedness and public safety. She researches non-standard grant opportunities
and represents OEMC at many outreach events.
Rosemary
has taught two different classes for DePaul University’s School of Public
Service: MPS 498:
Public Service Immersion & MPS 529:
Strategic Management and Planning.