Former Naperville Park District chief Ray McGury to lead Fry Family YMCA

Ray McGury, former head of the Naperville Park District, has been named the new executive director of the Fry Family YMCA in Naperville.

McGury succeeds Erika Wood, who retired earlier this year after 43 years with the nonprofit organization.

“I had heard through the Naperville grapevine that the position was becoming open,” McGury said. “I called (Wood) up and I said, ‘Can I meet with you just to hear a little bit about the position?’ And she was kind enough to meet with me.”

When he found out he was selected for the job, he said he was thrilled.

“I want to be part of this effort, not necessarily to rebrand the Y,” he said. “Their brand is solid. What they do is solid. Their connection to the community is solid. But maybe doing things a little bit differently, bringing maybe some different opportunities to the community excites me.”

McGury’s long history in Naperville includes a number of service-oriented roles.

“If you ask anybody about me … I think most people will say, ‘He likes to get out in the community. He likes to go get his hands dirty and just engage, get people involved,’” he said.

He started his career in the mid-1980s as a newly hired officer for the Naperville Police Department, where he worked until becoming the Bolingbrook police chief in 2005.

After three years in that role, he took over as executive director of the Naperville Park District, where one of his big achievements was overseeing the construction of the Fort Hill Activity Center, the district’s first large-scale indoor recreation facility.

Under his leadership, the district also received national accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies, a distinction held by only 1% of park districts across the country.

“I thought that was important for this community, for this organization, for this staff and for this board that I was serving at the time, and most importantly serving the community, to be tested,” he said.

He left to become executive director of the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association. He previously served on the Naperville Area Humane Society Board.

He was in that position for about three years before taking over as facilities director for Little Friends in April 2025.

“(I am) looking forward to working with the citizens of Naperville and trying to serve them because, again, that service has always been my thing,” McGury said. “(I) try to do it the best I can. I’m sure I’ll fail at times, but it’s been in my blood.”

cstein@chicagotribune.com