OUR HISTORY

McKissack & McKissack is an outgrowth of the oldest minority-owned architecture/engineering firm in the United States.
Its roots go back to before the Civil War, when a slave named Moses McKissack learned the building trade from his overseer. It was his grandson, Moses III, who launched the first McKissack & McKissack in Nashville, Tennessee. The year was 1905.
McKissack & McKissack was founded by Deryl McKissack in 1990. When Ms. McKissack established her company, she was the fifth generation of her family to carry on the building tradition.

McKissack & McKissack is a leader, enhancing people's lives by advancing the design and construction industry.

2020
McKissack becomes the first African American firm to win a major contract for the City of Fort Worth, TX. For the first time in history, Fort Worth has selected an African-American, woman-owned firm as the prime contractor for two categories.
2023
In 2023, McKissack secured a contract to provide project and program management consulting services for a three-billion-dollar, multi-year initiative to rebuild and modernize its public-school infrastructure — the largest project and program management award in our 35‑year history.
2025
McKissack earned recognition in ENR’s Top 100 Professional Services Firms for Construction Management/PM-for-Fee and celebrated major project milestones with clients including Chicago Public Schools, University of Illinois, Maryland Stadium Authority, United Airlines, PGCPS, DDOT, ComEd, and Arlington County.

Citizens of community

By Deryl McKissack

Trust for the
National Mall

McKissack & McKissack is a proud contributor to the Trust for the National Mall, the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service dedicated to restoring and improving Washington, DC’s National Mall.
membership

National Forum for
Black Public AdministratorS

The National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA) is the principal and most progressive organization dedicated to the advancement of black public leadership in local and state governments.  With over 2,500 members, NFBPA has established a national reputation for designing and implementing quality leadership development initiatives of unparalleled success.
McKissack has been an extraordinary supporter of the NFBPA through the outstanding leadership Deryl McKissack has shown over the years.