Annie McGowan

Annie McGowan joined the Civic Federation as a Senior Research Associate in June 2016, working on annual local government budget analyses and special research projects. In September 2019, Annie moved into a new role at the Civic Federation focusing on criminal justice research and policy. Annie became Deputy Director of Research at the Civic Federation in November 2022. In this capacity, she supports the Civic Federation’s annual research and policy agenda focusing on government finance and tax policy research, while also specializing in public safety and criminal justice system research within City of Chicago, Cook County and the State of Illinois government.

Annie currently serves on behalf of the Civic Federation as a Trustee of the Governmental Research Association, a national organization of individuals and organizations engaged in government research.

Annie earned her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago in December 2015. While pursuing her degree, Annie worked at the Illinois Department of Public Health within the agency’s HIV/AIDS surveillance program and at Illinois Partners for Human Service, a statewide policy advocacy organization.

Annie’s previous experience includes working in development and school admissions at The Hope Institute for Children and Families (now Hope Learning Academy), a nonprofit serving children with developmental disabilities. She also completed a year of service through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, working as a legal assistant at Sanctuary for Families, providing services to immigrant survivors of domestic violence at the Brooklyn Family Justice Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Annie holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a double major in Urban Affairs and Spanish from Marquette University.