Rita Maguire has more than 30 years of experience in water, environmental and administrative law in Arizona. Her clients include the State of Arizona, municipal water providers, mining companies, international corporations with water and environmental interests, real estate investors, golf courses, and private landowners. Due to her extensive professional experience in the legislative and executive branches of state government including serving as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Symington, Ms. Maguire routinely provides advice to her clients about public policy, and legislative and regulatory rule-making developments. Ms. Maguire has provided expert witness testimony on the acquisition, management and utilization of surface water and groundwater in Arizona and the Lower Colorado River Basin and arbitrated a multi-million dollar water supply and pricing dispute in Southern California.

Ms. Maguire served as Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources from 1993 through 2001. During her tenure as Director, Ms. Maguire represented the state’s interests in the Colorado River Basin, was a key figure in the development of the Arizona Water Bank Authority, adoption of the Third Management Plan, and played a central role in Indian water rights negotiations in Arizona. Ms. Maguire has written and spoken extensively on water policy and management matters. Click HERE to see full resume..  In 2002, Ms. Maguire was the founding President and CEO of the Arizona Center for Public Policy, a nonpartisan public policy research center providing comprehensive and objective analysis of Arizona’s major policy issues. 

Ms. Maguire holds three degrees from Arizona State University: a Juris Doctorate received in 1988, a Masters in Business Administration, summa cum laude, received in 1979, and a Bachelor of Science, magna cum laude, received in 1977. In 2001, Ms. Maguire was awarded the Outstanding Alumnus of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Ms. Maguire has been listed as a Southwest Super Lawyer since 2008, is listed in the International Who’s Who of Environment Lawyers, and is an AV Preeminent Rated lawyer by Martindale Hubbell.  In August 2012, Ms. Maguire was appointed a member of the National Research Council’s Water Science and Technology Board of the National Academies of Science.  She served more than a decade on the Natural Heritage Institute’s Board of Directors and the Arizona Cactus-Pine Council Board of Directors.

Ms. Maguire has one daughter and two grandchildren who are the light of her life.