Mike Grady

Owner / Principal

Mike Grady has been involved in Illinois politics and campaigns for over two decades. He began his professional career as a policy analyst for then-Treasurer Patrick Quinn in 1993 before joining the Issues Development staff of Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan. In this role he learned both the nuts-and-bolts of the legislative process and managed some of the highest profile legislative races of the late 1990’s.

In 1999 he joined the new administration of Secretary of State Jesse White as his first Chief Liaison to the Illinois House of Representatives. In that role he managed passage of a wide variety of laws impacting vehicle and driver safety, business regulation, public libraries, and financial securities. Most notably, he drafted and guided to passage the first law in Illinois to levy tougher penalties on DUI offenders that drive under the influence at twice the legal limit.

In 2006 he moved outside the halls of government to become the Director of Public Policy and Government Relations for the American Cancer Society in Illinois. It was in this role that he managed the statewide public policy campaign to pass Illinois Smoke Free Illinois Act — the strongest such law of its type in the nation — an effort that earned him national recognition from the Society.

In 2010, he moved into private practice, independently serving clients in the areas of public health, health care, workers compensation reform, service to the disabled, and clean energy; as well as training many organizations on how to leverage grassroots strategies to enhance advocacy efforts.

Grady was born in Mattoon, Illinois; received his B.A. from Eastern Illinois University in 1992, and has lived in the Springfield area for nearly 20 years. He lives with his wife, Alyson and their three children, Justin, Aidan, & Clare.