Cheryl McKissack Daniel

Cheryl McKissack Daniel (born May 15, 1961)

McKissack Daniel graduated from the University School of Nashville, then called the Peabody Demonstration School, in 1979.

Career

In 1985, McKissack Daniel moved to New York City to work as a civil engineer for Weidlinger Associates. 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.

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. McKissack Daniel also incorporated The McKissack Group, Inc in 1991. The move made her the company’s fifth-generation owner. According to CBS News, by 2019, 61% of her hires had been minorities.

Since becoming CEO, McKissack Daniel has led construction projects, including John F. Kennedy International Airport New Terminal One, Barclays Center, Atlantic Yards Long Island Rail Road Vanderbilt Yard Relocation, Studio Museum in Harlem, Coney Island Hospital Campus Renovation,

In May 2022, McKissack Daniel received the Diversity and Inclusion lifetime achievement award from Crain's New York Business. She was honored by the National Liberty Museum as a "Hero of Liberty" for "her support of humanitarian initiatives and for promoting the responsibilities of a free and diverse America."