President & CEO.
Cheryl McKissack Daniel
READ BIOGRAPHY
Cheryl McKissack Daniel is President & CEO of McKissack & McKissack, the oldest minority- and woman-owned design and construction firm in the nation. A fifth-generation builder and author of The Black Family Who Built America (Simon & Schuster, August 2025), she carries forward her family’s 230-year legacy while shaping the future of infrastructure, equity, and generational wealth.
A civil engineer, author, and executive with more than 30 years of experience, Cheryl has led all phases of the design and construction industry, overseeing major projects across the commercial, healthcare, education, and transportation sectors. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, she represents the fifth generation of a remarkable family legacy that began with an enslaved Ashanti ancestor in 1790.
Her grandfather, Moses McKissack, founded the family business in 1905. Her father, William DeBerry McKissack, carried it forward in 1968, and her mother, Leatrice Buchanan McKissack, expanded it after her husband’s passing. Today, Cheryl leads McKissack & McKissack into its second century, building on her family’s history of resilience, ingenuity, and innovation.
Under her leadership, McKissack provides construction management, program management, and consulting services nationwide, with a primary focus on infrastructure, transit, healthcare, and education. With more than 150 employees, the firm has managed over $50 billion in construction during the past decade. McKissack has been central to some of New York’s most transformative projects, including the New Terminal One at JFK International Airport, LaGuardia Central Terminal Building Redevelopment, Columbia University’s Manhattanville Expansion, Coney Island Hospital Campus Renovation, and as Independent Engineer Consultant to the MTA—the largest transportation system in the nation.
Cheryl’s book, The Black Family Who Built America, is a sweeping narrative tracing her family’s journey from enslavement to entrepreneurship and modern-day business leadership. It not only highlights the McKissack’s’ pioneering contributions to American architecture, engineering, and construction, but also underscores the broader truth that Black families have been foundational builders of America’s physical, cultural, and economic landscape. Through this work, Cheryl inspires conversations around generational wealth, representation, and the power of perseverance.
Her leadership extends beyond her company. Cheryl serves on numerous corporate, civic, and philanthropic boards, emphasizing strategic planning, governance, and inclusive growth. She has been honored as a “Hero of Liberty” for her humanitarian efforts and was recently named the 2025 Corporate Global Citizen Award Honoree by Global Kids, celebrating her leadership and global impact.
A proud alumna of Howard University, Cheryl holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering, as well as graduate coursework in civil engineering from Columbia University. With her unique ability to listen, ask the right questions, and lead with vision and preparedness, Cheryl continues to serve as a trailblazer—honoring her family’s 230-year legacy while shaping the future of infrastructure, equity, and generational wealth.
Program/Construction Management/Construction.
Albert Odjidja
READ BIOGRAPHY
Patrick Askew
READ BIOGRAPHY
Patrick Askew has more than 28 years of design and construction industry experience. His experience includes serving as Deputy Director for the $9.5 billion New Terminal One project at the JFK International Airport where McKissack is a member of the Capital Project Delivery team, providing Project Management Oversight and MWBE Management & Outreach services. Patrick also served as Project Executive for McKissack’s contract with New York State Metropolitan Transportation Authority as its Independent Engineering Consultant providing project oversight of the $32B Capital Program, which included the design and construction of mega infrastructure projects such as: Eastside Access, Fulton Street Transportation Center, Second Avenue Subway, Number 7 Line Subway Extension and the rebuilding of the new World Trade Center Cortlandt Station # 1 line. He also served as Program and Logistics Manager at The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey for the management of various multi-million-dollar design and construction projects at the New World Trade Center Site “WTC”. The projects included construction of the New WTC Transportation Hub, Towers # 2, 3 & 4, the Path Station and WTC Tower #1 Storm Mitigation Flood Barrier System.
Patrick also spent more than 11 years at New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). For over three years, he led NYCEDC’s Capital Division managing a $9+ billion project portfolio, including 95+ projects in design/construction, as well as 45+ engineers, architects, landscape architects, and other technical and administrative project support staff. For more than six years, he served as Assistant Vice President, supervising and managing the design, engineering and construction of high-profile projects, including the New York Mets Minor League Baseball Stadium built in Coney Island, Brooklyn, St. John’s University Baseball Stadium built in Jamaica, Queens, East River Ferry Terminals located in various locations along the East River in Manhattan, and the Coney Island Parachute Jump located in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
Patrick is a graduate of Temple and New York University and earned a bachelor’s and master’s in civil engineering, and a master’s in business administration. Patrick is also an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University and New York University where he provides education and guidance to students in the areas of project delivery, engineering, design and construction management.
Alan DeSantola
READ BIOGRAPHY
Alan DeSantola has more than 30 years of design and construction industry experience and is Vice President of Construction Management services at McKissack. He joined the firm in 2008, and most recently served as Project Executive on the $500+ million Atlantic Yards, Long Island Rail Road Vanderbilt Yard Relocation project for Greenland Forest City Ratner in downtown Brooklyn where McKissack provided construction management and program management services from preconstruction throughout the four stages of construction.
As Vice President of Construction Management services, Alan provides executive oversight of projects under McKissack’s NYC DDC CM On Call Contract , NYCSCA Mentor Program, NYCSCA Professional Services, NYS OGS On-Call CM Services, Baruch College Lawrence & Eris Field Building Renovation, and the New Delta Terminal at LaGuardia Airport.
Alan’s prior experience is comprised of projects in transportation, commercial development, academic, healthcare and infrastructure. He first served as Senior Project Manager on McKissack’s SCA Emergency Response Project. He led a 24/7 project team that responded to school construction projects and emergencies throughout NYC’s five boroughs. In addition, he had led construction teams on Thompson Library at Vassar College, Duchess Community College Academic Building, NYS OMH psychiatric and development centers, and infrastructure projects for the NYS DOT.
Steven Allen
READ BIOGRAPHY
Steven is a construction professional with more than 25 years of industry experience on a broad range of projects. Throughout his extensive career, he has lent his expertise to a variety of project types, including healthcare (new and modernization), office and corporate facilities, residential high rise, universities and K-12 schools, aviation, laboratory, research, and pharmaceutical facilities, and convention and hospitality buildings.
Steve currently serves as Director of Preconstruction and leads McKissack’s team of estimators and schedules, and manages the process and resources to provide quality preconstruction services to McKissack’s clients and project teams.
Transit.
Michael Wetherell
READ BIOGRAPHY
Michael Wetherell is a nationally-recognized transportation executive with more than 37 years of diverse experience in Transit Rail Vehicle Engineering, Maintenance and Operations, Capital Program Management, Design-Build Project Management, Project Management Oversight, Risk Assessment, Business Development, and Customer Service. He has managed engineering, maintenance and capital program construction efforts at major transit agencies and has contributed to the development of engineering designs and standards that have had an important impact on rail transit. Mr. Wetherell’s experience includes extensive rail car maintenance management and project management and design analysis, maintenance procedure specification, operating rule development, component failure mode and safety analysis, component inspection, quality assurance and equipment specification development.
At McKissack, Michael leads the Transit Group. In this role, he pursues new business and also serves as the executive in charge on the firm’s current contracts, including FTA Project Management Oversight, NJ Transit Construction Management On Call, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Project Management Oversight, and Federal Railroad Administration.
Prior to joining McKissack, Michael served as Director of the Office of Construction Oversight at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) where he led a group of independent consultants in monitoring the management and process of all capital projects performed by the MTA Agencies, as part of a $6 billion annual program. Prior to his role in Capital Program Oversight, he served as Chief Mechanical Officer at New York City Transit (NYCT), where he was responsible for the daily preparation and delivery of the 6300 Car NYCT rail vehicle fleet to support the transportation of nearly 6 million passengers a day.
Michael also served as Assistant Chief Mechanical Officer (ACMO) Equipment Engineering for New York City Transit, where he was responsible for Rail Car Engineering and Technical support, including procurement, design, testing and acceptance of new rail car equipment and engineering support of rail car fleet maintenance. These services in Rapid Transit operations complement his earlier service as ACMO Equipment Engineering and General Manager Fleet Engineering for the Long Island Rail Road (commuter rail). He has also co-chaired the MTA program to mentor a diverse group of small businesses to perform projects as prime contractors to MTA Agencies.
In addition to his agency work, Michael has served as FTA consultant in monitoring federally funded projects at numerous municipalities in the United States including risk assessment and project management. He has also played a key role in the development of industry standards that have been adopted into federal commuter rail regulations.
Michael is a Professional Engineer, and a graduate of the US Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering and New York University-Polytechnic with a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering.
Pennsylvania/New Jersey/Federal/Disaster Recovery & Resiliency.
Dean Robateau
READ BIOGRAPHY
Mr. Robateau possesses more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry and has been with McKissack for more than 16 years. During the course of his career, he has been involved in extensive renovation, rehabilitation and new construction projects valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars for various sectors, including education, healthcare, transportation and retail.
As Executive Vice President of Strategic Development & Operations at McKissack, he provides operational oversight on McKissack’s PA and NJ projects and leads business development efforts firm-wide. Dean is responsible for the strategic growth and development of the firm while investigating value propositions associated with expanding into new market sectors. He proposes and participates in defining objectives to gain market share and maximize profitability and executes plans to make those objectives achievable.
Mr. Robateau has provided construction and construction management services to prominent clients, such as School District of Philadelphia, Philadelphia International Airport, NYC School Construction Authority, NYC Department of Design and Construction, Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, the New Jersey School Development Authority, the Pennsylvania American Water Company, the City of Camden, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Pennsylvania Turnpike Authority and Delaware River Port Authority.
Some of Mr. Robateau’s notable project experience with McKissack includes the $150M Philadelphia International Airport On-Call Construction Management Services contracts for airside and landside projects, including retail stores and restaurants for Terminals A through F; Lincoln University Science Center, the International Cultural Center and Student Center projects valued at $70M ; the $75M Tyler School of Art at Temple University; the $300M University of Pennsylvania Center for Advanced Medicine, the $1.5B Philadelphia School District Capital Improvement Plan; and the $160M One uCity with Wexford Science and Innovation building.
Dean earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Fordham University.
Regulatory Compliance.
Kimberly Hardy, Esq
Jennifer Yam
