McKissack & McKissack Taps Lisa Edmonds and Nijah Barley for Key Company Leadership Roles

McKissack & McKissack, one of the nation’s leading Black- and woman-owned architecture, engineering and construction companies, announced the addition of two new members to its national leadership team in its Washington, D.C., office: Lisa Edmonds as vice president of human resources and Nijah Barley as director of information technology. Each brings noteworthy core competencies and experience to the company as it undergoes unprecedented growth.

“I am excited about Lisa and Nijah because they will apply deep expertise and fresh perspectives to two of the most important aspects of our company’s strategic growth—our supportive people-oriented culture and our robust information technology infrastructure,” said Deryl McKissack, president and CEO of McKissack & McKissack.

HR Technology News: Microsoft Office Rebrands Itself As Microsoft 365

“We’ve been growing quickly at McKissack and expect to maintain that momentum because of the infrastructure act, so we need Lisa for her depth of knowledge and deep networking skills to help us recruit top-notch talent. McKissack is a great place to work, and Lisa has the skillset and strategic acumen bring that message to a new pool of talent and optimize our staffing process,” McKissack noted.

“I expect Nijah to make a major impact at our company too. He’s incredibly creative and always thinking out-of-the-box to find better ways to serve us and our clients. He approaches every challenge with such positivity. His mantra is always ‘I can figure it out, I can help you’—and he always does just that,” she added.

Lisa Edmonds: Combining HR and legal background to support talent acquisition strategies

Edmonds brings to McKissack more than two decades of human resources experience, most recently as human resource manager/benefits administrator of engineering and design firm Gibbs & Cox Inc. “Lisa is a welcome addition to our team for many reasons, but what stood out to me initially is the fact that she understands the mindset of engineers and designers,” said McKissack. “Even though we are known for our fulfilling and inclusive culture, we are a national company with professionals from many different fields and all walks of life on staff. Her expertise in so many aspects of our expansive industry will help us strengthen and support all members of our diverse team.”

HR Technology News: Clearlake Capital Completes Acquisition Of Cornerstone OnDemand

Edmonds has also studied HR and employment law, which McKissack sees as another strength. “We work in several states. They all have different approaches legally on human resources, so someone who knows these intricacies and can anticipate our needs in all settings is a key addition to our team,” McKissack pointed out.

Edmonds said, “So much of HR revolves around employment law, beginning with the recruitment process. And once someone is here, we need to make sure that we as a company are doing things the right way.”

With McKissack expanding into new sectors and growing the depth and breadth of its project portfolio, Edmonds noted, “Our main priority is recruitment and development of impressive and accomplished talent. And once we recruit that talent, we want them to stay. Retaining new talent and the great employees we already have is critical to our growth and ultimately the success of everything we do. So, we’re going to support all team members with training and development that will refine or deepen their skillsets. Our goal is to build on the culture that is already established at McKissack,

HR Technology News: HR Technology Highlights – HR Tech Daily Round-Up For 10 November 2022