Michael J. McMurray serves as Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), one of the world’s largest aviation systems, serving more than 100 million passengers per year. Appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson in 2025, Commissioner McMurray brings more than 25 years of experience, with a with a career-long focus on delivering complex infrastructure projects, expanding economic opportunity, and strengthening the systems that connect communities.

Before his appointment as Commissioner, McMurray held senior roles in both the public and private sectors, including most recently as President of Transportation and Infrastructure at Wight & Company, a multidisciplinary planning, architecture, engineering, and construction firm. He also spent more than 13 years at Globetrotters Engineering Corporation, serving nearly seven years as President of the Chicago-based firm.

McMurray’s private-sector leadership is complemented by extensive experience in City of Chicago government, where he previously served as Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Aviation, Managing Deputy Commissioner for the Department of General Services, First Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Procurement Services, and Contract Compliance Officer.

He began his career as an attorney, with roles including Assistant State’s Attorney in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Assistant Regional Counsel for the U.S. Social Security Administration, and Senior Counsel for the United Auto Workers. He is licensed to practice law in Illinois and is a member of the American, Chicago, and Cook County Bar Associations.

McMurray is an active community member engaging in several civil and charitable organizations, including the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation as a member of the Board of Directors, Chicago Entrepreneurial Center (1871), the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Adler Planetarium. His civic affiliations also include the Economic Club of Chicago and Commercial Club of Chicago, the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois, and the American Association of Airport Executives.

A native of Chicago’s South Side, McMurray earned his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.