As Acting Under Secretary for Finance and Administration, McNally oversees several departments at the Smithsonian, including the Office of Facilities Engineering and Operations, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, the Office of the Chief Information Officer, Smithsonian Archives and the Office of Human Resources.

McNally, who joined the Smithsonian in 2005, currently serves as senior executive officer in the Smithsonian's Office of the Under Secretary for Science. She is the principal advisor to the Under Secretary on financial, administrative and management policies and issues relating to the management of the Institution's science units. She directly oversees and coordinates certain research support activities.

From 1981 to 2005, McNally held numerous positions at NASA. Most recently, she served as deputy associate administrator for management of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters. While there, she was responsible for all resource, functional and administrative activities. She also served as the chair of the Directorate's General Management Council and as a member of the agency's Chief Operating Officers Council.

McNally was associate director for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (2002-2004), responsible for the general management of the center, including developing organizational investment strategies, managing strategic business processes and tracking organizational performance. She also served as the center's chief of staff, responsible for overseeing all functions within the office of the director. McNally earned her bachelor's degree in human development from the University of Connecticut in 1979 and a master's degree in social work from Columbia University in 1981. She completed the Simmons College Graduate School of Management Middle Management Program and the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Program for Senior Managers in Government.

Together with Richard Kurin, who is the Acting Under Secretary for History and Culture, McNally replaces Sheila P. Burke, who served as the Smithsonian's Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer from 2000 to 2007.

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