Cheryl McKissack Daniel

American civil engineer and businesswoman

Cheryl McKissack Daniel

McKissack Daniel in 2022

Born|

Cheryl McKissack

(1961-05-15) May 15, 1961 (age 62)

Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.

Other names| Cheryl McKissack Felder
Alma mater| Howard University
Years active| 1985 to present
Parents|

* William DeBerry McKissack (father)
* Leatrice Buchanan McKissack [d] (mother)

Relatives| Moses McKissack III (grandfather)
Calvin Lunsford McKissack [d] (granduncle)

Cheryl McKissack Daniel (born May 15, 1961)[1] is an American civil engineer and businesswoman. She is the president and chief executive officer of McKissack & McKissack, a design and construction company founded by her grandfather Moses McKissack III and granduncle Calvin Lunsford McKissack.

## Early life and education[edit]

Cheryl McKissack Daniel was born in 1961, in Nashville, Tennessee to parents Leatrice Buchanan McKissack [d] and William DeBerry McKissack. She is the granddaughter of Moses McKissack III.[1][2]

McKissack Daniel graduated from the University School of Nashville, then called the Peabody Demonstration School, in 1979.[1] She went on to graduate from Howard University in 1983, earning a bachelor’s and a master's degree in civil engineering.[3][4]

## Career[edit]

In 1985, McKissack Daniel moved to New York City to work as a civil engineer for Weidlinger Associates.[5] She started her professional career working on Department of Defense projects. She was responsible for providing quality assurance, quality control, and government research for missile silos.[1][5] She worked at Weidlinger until 1989 when she became a project estimator at Turner Construction.[6]

In 1991, she began working for McKissack & McKissack while her mother, Leatrice McKissack, was CEO. McKissack Daniel helped open the firm's new office in New York City.[7][8] McKissack Daniel also incorporated The McKissack Group, Inc in 1991.[1] In 2000, McKissack Daniel purchased the company from her mother Leatrice, and became CEO and President.[9][10] The move made her the company’s fifth-generation owner.[3][10] In 2002, under her leadership, the company closed its office in Nashville, making New York City its headquarters.[11] According to CBS News, by 2019, 61% of her hires had been minorities.[7][12]

Since becoming CEO, McKissack Daniel has led construction projects, including John F. Kennedy International Airport New Terminal One,[2][10][13] Barclays Center,[4][14] Atlantic Yards Long Island Rail Road Vanderbilt Yard Relocation,[14][9] Fulton Fish Market,[4] Medgar Evers College,[15] Studio Museum in Harlem,[14]Harlem Hospital Center New Patient Pavilion,[14][16][17] Coney Island Hospital Campus Renovation,[4][14] and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.[9]

McKissack Daniel is also the founder of Legacy Engineers, a mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection engineering design firm focused on mentoring young professionals in the field.[9][4]

She has served or serves on community, municipal, national, and professional advisory boards, and serves on the Board of Advisors of the Columbia University Center for Buildings, Infrastructure and Public Space (CBIPS).[18]

In May 2022, McKissack Daniel received the Diversity and Inclusion lifetime achievement award from Crain's New York Business.[13] In 2022, Ebony magazine gave McKissack Daniel the Black-Owned Business Award.[19] She was honored by the National Liberty Museum as a "Hero of Liberty" for her "her support of humanitarian initiatives and for promoting the responsibilities of a free and diverse America."[20][18]

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e "Cheryl McKissack Felder's Biography". The HistoryMakers. February 9, 2005. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
2. ^ a b Rebong, Kevin (April 13, 2022). "The Closing: Cheryl McKissack Daniel". The Real Deal. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
3. ^ a b Lauria-Blum, Julia (March 8, 2022). "The Keeper of a Storied Legacy". Metropolitan Airport News. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
4. ^ a b c d e Christian, Tanya (October 27, 2022). "This Black Woman Is Behind Some of NYC's Largest Construction Projects". Ebony. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
5. ^ a b "Congressional Record: Cheryl McKissack Felder Acknowledgement of Achievement" (PDF). GovInfo. U.S. Government Information. May 3, 2007. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
6. ^ "National Architecture Firm Opens Mount Vernon Branch". Business Council of Westchester. August 25, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
7. ^ a b Hall, April (June 8, 2019). "Inside the nation's oldest African-American-owned, female-run construction management firm". CBS News. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
8. ^ Khoury, Samar (October 23, 2019). "Separate but Together: Twin Sisters Break Ground in Construction Industry | Professional WOMAN's Magazine". Professional Woman’s Magazine. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
9. ^ a b c d Johnson, Derrel Jazz (May 17, 2021). "Cheryl McKissack Daniel Keeps The Family's Fifth-Generation Business Thriving As President & CEO Of McKissack & McKissack". The Harlem Times. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
10. ^ a b c McKinney, Jeffrey (August 8, 2019). "She Took Over Her Family's 114-Year-Old Construction Company and Turned It Into a $50 Million Powerhouse How She Turned the Oldest Black Construction Company Into a $50 Million Powerhouse". Black Enterprise. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
11. ^ Daverman, Richard (May 1, 2002). "McKissack & McKissack, historic African-American architecture firm, files Chapter 7". Nashville Post. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
12. ^ Kenney, Tanasia (June 25, 2019). "Nation's Oldest Black-Woman Owned Construction Firm Behind Renovation Efforts at Laguardia, JFK Airports". Atlanta Black Star. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
13. ^ a b Sachmechi, Natalie (May 13, 2022). "Meet our D&I Lifetime Achievement Award winner". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
14. ^ a b c d e Katz, Peter (August 22, 2022). "Major construction management firm opens Mount Vernon office". Westfair and Fairfax County Business Journals. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
15. ^ "Black History Month One-On-One: Cheryl McKissack Daniel". CBS News. February 8, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
16. ^ Dilakian, Steven (January 12, 2022). "Paramount+ Drama Inspired by NYC Construction Chief McKissack". The Real Deal. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
17. ^ Dorris, Jesse (February 25, 2020). "10 Questions With… Cheryl and Deryl McKissack". Interior Design. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
18. ^ a b "Cheryl McKissack Daniel | Center for Buildings, Infrastructure, and Public Spaces". cbips.engineering.columbia.edu. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
19. ^ "Power 100 Honorees, Black-owned Business Award". Ebony. 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
20. ^ "Cheryl McKissack Daniel President & CEO, McKissack & McKissack – The Harlem Times". Retrieved July 5, 2023.

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States