Deryl McKissack, PE

Chief Executive Officer

Deryl is Chief Executive Officer of McKissack & McKissack (McKissack), where she manages over $15 billion in projects nationwide.

During the past 30 years under her leadership, McKissack & McKissack has managed such landmark projects as the Smithsonian’s: African American Museum of History and Culture, the Obama Presidential Library, MGM's National Harbor Casino, and multiple Navy Pier Centennial Projects. McKissack was also the architectural firm of record for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC. As a licensed Professional Engineer and registered Project Management Professional, Deryl is part of the fifth generation of her family to work in the design and construction field. McKissack is a continuation of the nation’s oldest African American architectural firm and traces its beginnings to Moses McKissack, a master builder who was also a slave. After graduating from Howard University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, she worked at Turner Construction and Dames & Moore. While at these firms, she honed her experience in field work, business development, and construction management. In 1990, with a shoestring budget of $1,000, Deryl started McKissack & McKissack. McKissack & McKissack has grown to include offices in Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. The firm is ranked by "Engineering News-Record" as one of the top Construction Management For-Fee firms in the nation and by the "Washington Business Journal" as one of the top 25 design firms in the metropolitan Washington area.

Expertise

education

BS, Civil Engineering (interdisciplinary emphasis on Construction/Structural Engineering), Howard University

Professional Engineer—DC, FL, IL, MD, OH

affiliations

• GSA Federal Acquisition Policy Federal Advisory Committee, member

• Howard University, College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA) Board of Visitors (BOV), member

• ACE Mentor Program, Executive Committee of the National Board of Directors

• Construction Industry Round Table (CIRT), Board of Trustees, Vice Chair

• Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), member

• District of Columbia Building Industry Association (DCBIA), member, Board of Directors

• Federal City Council, Leadership Committee

• International Women’s Forum, Partnership Committee member

• Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, member, Board of Directors

• Living Classrooms, National Capital Region Board of Directors

• National Academy of Construction (NAC), member

• National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), member

• Pérez Art Museum Miami, member, Board of Trustees, Past Chair & Co-Founder of Art & Soul Gala

• Real Estate Executive Council (REEC), member

• The Economic Club of Washington DC, member

• The Executive’s Club of Chicago, member

• The Presidents’ Round Table, member

• Urban Land Institute (ULI), member

• Women’s Leadership Initiative of ULI Washington, member

insights

Fast Track Schedule

The delivery of the project was planned as a hybrid design-build with a 22-month schedule. The team experienced multiple delays as the project began and McKissack creatively mitigated them to deliver the project on-time.

Tracking and Reporting

At O’Hare International Airport (ORD), tracking and reporting funding to the various profiles—Airport Improvement Program Grant, Passenger Facility Charges, and General Airport Revenue Bonds—and third-party financing was critical on a monthly basis.

Pull Planning Methodology

During the management of the DCPS Modernization / Stabilization Program, pull planning methodology was employed to achieve the completion of multiple projects of differing size within an immovable time period.

Community Engagement

Deryl McKissack, PE

RelatedProjects

Related
Projects