Karim Hermani grew up in Karachi, Pakistan where ancient practices permeated his family's culture.

In his childhood, he lived in an extended family. His mother wasn’t allowed to talk to Karim’s grandfather as a matter of chastity. It was how women were expected to behave in traditional eastern cultures. His grandfather was an arrogant, controlling human being and had a bad temper. Karim often felt powerless around him. His father lacked an authoritative presence. It was his mother who went the extra mile in making sure her children, were protected from abuse and given the best education possible. Many of my values later in adulthood are the consequence of how she brought us up. Despite the challenges posed by us living in an extended family, he emerged into adulthood as a discerning, self-aware human being. The horrors of his childhood continued to haunt him throughout adulthood, however. He was put on this spiritual path to confront his karma and achieve the higher consciousness that would help him put a spotlight on all his fears and childhood trauma.

It is not what happens to us, but our attitude toward it that creates the real impact in our lives.

Karim was able to outgrow his childhood inadequacies after I coming face to face with a karmic partner from past lives. I was guided to marry her and later break up with her. It was in facing my karmic inadequacies revealed through our relationship that I have now emerged fully into my power and self-awareness. I have the tools to help others achieve the same, as I have paid the price to overcome the very limitations that held me back from making headway throughout my life.

What was the pivotal moment when you knew what you came here to do?

Karim experienced a lot of failure in my life. Yet, every time he failed, he knew that it was meant to help him reach out for another level. As he explored my spiritual path, he found many different masters and healers who had developed practical methods for helping people transform their lives. I used many of their tools and technologies.

The inherent problem he found throughout his journey is the amount of hard work and effort before he experienced a change in his life. He had to use many different technologies and this consumed a lot of time and energy. His hunger for change grew and this made it even harder to invest the amount of time and energy that were required to satisfy it.

He kept looking for a better way, a simpler, easier method to effect change on the subconscious level, without having to invest the same amount of time and energy to achieve it. This led Karim to a point when he was able to channel his first spirit guide, Ahsan. Ahsan helped him develop a vision for a new technology that would provide for his need to effect drastic and immediate change in a timely manner, without having to work hard for it. It took six years and a lot of trial and error to finally perfect the Life Success Codes technology, which is now fully automated and instantaneous in its results.

Dave Barnett, also known as Dave the Mystic, from Littleton, Colorado.

Dave is an energy medicine practitioner, healer, and intuitive with more than 30 years' experience. He has multiple technical degrees, and enjoys telling people he’s a rocket scientist, so yes—he’s an aerospace engineer.

In the early 1980s, Dave had some turning points in his life that led to a passion in discovering and developing his gifts in energy healing.

Dave is a strong believer in health issues having many potential causes in different energy planes. He works with different spiritual guides, and communicates with them freely.

He’s trained in many modalities and has gifts in healing, reading the Akashic Records, energy and entity clearing, changing core beliefs, and discerning spiritual gifts.

Dave uses many healing modalities with clients, such as Therapeutic Touch, Healing Touch Program, Psych-K, the Yuen Method, Theta Healing, Matrix Energetics, herbs and oils, crystals, sound healing, entity and energy clearing, Akashic Records reading, soul retrieval, and karma burning.

Because all of these modalities can be used both in-person and long distance, Dave works with clients all over the world.

J.R. Lemon was presented the 2001 Watkins Award as the nations top African American Scholar Athlete.  He played for and graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Management Science and Engineering.  J.R. briefly played professional football for the Oakland Raiders prior to starting his modeling career and exploding his acting career.  He is an action character on the Madden Game starting in 2009 and has appeared in several other follow ups to the game.  He has stacked a claim in the film industry as an up and coming actor who will one day be classified as an A-Lister if the requirement is about putting in the work.  J.R. is a tireless worker who is always pursuing excellence in whatever is does just like his extraordinary football career and academic credentials.    

As Director of Debates, April Lawson leads Braver Angels’ Debate and Public Discourse Program. Lawson grew up in Kansas, studied anthropology at Yale and now lives in Washington, DC with her dog June. April worked for David Brooks at The New York Times for four years and previously cofounded and served as Associate Director of Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute.

RILEY SILOS

I am a nineteen-year-old Filipino American musician. A California native, born and raised in Valencia. The Silos name in the Philippines are pioneer filmmakers and composers dating back to the early 1920’s. My parents are both musicians. I grew up surrounded by musicians and the music studios were my playground. 

Growing up, my parents exposed me to music, movies and sports. Sports played a big part of my younger years. 

Although I focused a lot on sports growing up (10 years of youth hockey and focusing on Olympic recurve archery for the last 5 years) I always turned to music every chance I get. 

Currently, I am a member of the Philippine National Olympic Recurve Archery Team. I represent them in all World tournaments. I am scheduled to participate in the Olympic qualifier in France this coming June and compete to get a spot for the Tokyo Olympics.

I am also working on a new music album called, “Infinity, In Between Shots.” I am really proud and excited to share my new work. I feel that my writing is more personal in these new songs.

Obstacles/Challenges:

Right now, my biggest challenge has nothing to do with music. I am in the middle of my second gap year (from the Los Angeles College of Music, in Pasadena) I took a gap year last year to prepare for the 2020 Olympics. Since that was postponed for this year, I have to continue to train for it, and postpone college one more year. Training for the Olympics is a full-time job that really tries a person’s resolve and resilience. 

But, even with the Olympics being the main focus right now, I allocate time to attend some online music classes and continue writing songs. I train 6-8 hours a day in archery, 6 days a week; and for all the other time, I am either writing songs, collaborating with other musicians, producing my music, shooting music videos, attending online music theory classes, or working on my piano playing and vocal techniques. It is a hectic schedule, but it is a challenge I willingly take on. I really have a lot of fun doing it!

Your Work:

I am a singer/songwriter who is currently an athlete in training for the Olympics.

For the past two years, I have written, produced and recorded at least twenty-four songs. I also have quite a bit more songs that I have written but not recorded. I also shot and released twelve official music videos (my first video release, “Flyin’” had over 200k views) on my YouTube Channel. www.silos.tv

Industry Outlook:

There’s no better time to be a musician than right now. With technology, anyone who really pursues it, can record and produce their own music. Honing one’s talents is just a click away. There are so many master classes to learn from, mentors to help those who are interested and willing to work. There are so many avenues. My career goal is not just to be a singer/songwriter. One of my goals is to write for other artists. Another goal is to have my music be used in commercials, television or movie soundtracks. The possibilities are limitless.

Riley’s writing partner, Mark Spiro, has represented over 100 million records sold worldwide. He is an established award winning producer, recording artist, and accomplished musician, with a career that spans over two decades. Among his many accomplishments are 45 gold and platinum records, and six solo albums. 

He is most recognized as one of the leading melodic rock songwriters in the United States, with songs recorded by such classic artists as Heart, Cheap Trick, Giant, Bad English, John Waite, Kansas, Reo Speedwagon, Winger, Mike Reno (LoverBoy), Julian Lennon, Lita Ford, Giant, David Lee Roth, Rick Springfield, David Cassidy, Terri Nunn, Jane Wiedlin and Steve Perry.  In addition, he has written for multi-platinum country artist, Lila McCann, and Latin Artists, Luis Miguel and Emmanuel.

SCARLETT CURTIS

My name is Scarlett and I am a Holistic Nutritionist, Reiki Master, and Intuitive Energy Healer. I help people heal and move forward on their path through a combination of energy healing, nutritional guidance and spiritual support.  

My journey into the realm of holistic health and healing started nearly 11 years ago in 2009 when I was searching for ways to heal myself from a number of imbalances including Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), adult acne, food allergies, chemical allergies, bulimia, hormonal imbalances, insomnia, chronic depression and anxiety.

Over the years, I experienced fatigue, heart palpitations, hypoglycemia, adrenal burnout, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), chronic yeast infections, constipation, UTIs, Baker’s cysts, viral autoimmune and parasitic infection. It literally felt like I had everything wrong with me.

I also had a lot of built up emotions from growing up in a toxic household. On top of that I was a deeply empathic child, very sensitive to energy and was overwhelmed by the ability to sense the emotions of everyone around me. I felt very alone. I was raised atheist, which made it difficult for me to recognize that I could see, hear, and sense both energy and spirits around me. I thought everybody was like this. I didn’t know I was different. 

Searching for health answers, emotional balance, and self acceptance lead me to discover my passion for holistic nutrition, herbs, meditation, and my gift as an intuitive energy healer, guide and empath. I accepted the fact that I could see and feel energy, and had a deep connection with Spirit. I stopped hiding my gifts. 

​By 2014 I was certified as a Reiki Master Practitioner, Master Clairvoyant Reader and Energy Healer. After years of studying natural healing on my own to heal myself, in 2015 I completed my first certification as a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Nutrition Response Testing practitioner with the goal of helping others to heal themselves too. I am also happy to announce that in Spring 2020 I completed a M.S. in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine. 

Today I have the pleasure of working with people of all different ages and walks of life, including both adults and children. Sometimes we are working with the physical body on building health through natural approaches, while other times the sessions stay primarily in the emotional and spiritual realm– cleansing the energy field and nervous system of various past traumas, built up emotions, outdated habits, karma and any negative thought patterns acquired through out the course of our lives and daily interactions.

I also love working with children and teenagers. I always think, “what if I had the coping mechanisms and spiritual tools I have now when I was growing up?”…how much less suffering I might have gone through. This is why it is so important to me to support empathic, sensitive children who are going through periods of sadness, confusion, stress, self hate, anxiety, anger etc. while extending guidance to parents who seek it.  

​My intention is to provide an integrative approach to healing that supports each person mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. We are all complex, multidimensional beings who deserve this type of care on every level in order to feel balanced and whole.

CHRIS PIERCE

Internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter Chris Pierce stands by the notion that music can cut through the isolated and static feelings for those of us worn down by the chaos of everyday life. He calls out to unite us under one sonic roof to speak up, sing out, rise up and resist with the offering of his new 21st century Americana freedom and justice album titled “American Silence” to be released on February 26, 2021. On the forthcoming LP, Pierce channels legendary justice and freedom songwriters.  With sparse acoustic instrumentation and unmistakable soulfully passionate vocals, Pierce creates an authentic sound all his own removed from time or trend.

The full-length LP, “American Silence” soulfully spins original songs about a wide range of issues including justice, oppression, homelessness, black self-love, racism, mass incarceration, Immigrant Transcontinental Railroad workforce, Native American boarding schools, and a tribute to the American statesman and civil rights leader, John Lewis.  The self produced album was recorded during a socially distanced session at Boulevard Recording in Los Angeles, California with only Pierce and the studio owner/engineer Clay Blair in attendance.  Lead vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica and background choir parts on the album were performed by Pierce. 

The music video for the title track of Pierce’s forthcoming album, ‘AMERICAN SILENCE’ recently premiered in Rolling Stone: “L.A. Singer-Songwriter Chris Pierce channels Richie Havens and Bob Dylan… It’s the sound of everyone who’s hungry for change, steadying themselves and marching toward a common goal.” NPR’s Ann Powers called the ‘American Silence’ single “…A good old fashioned folk music broadside” and “…the song white allies need to hear because it so beautifully says that loving protest songs isn’t enough.” Look for Chris Pierce’s ‘AMERICAN SILENCE’ full length solo effort (his 9th) to bow in early 2021.

CHRIS PIERCE recently gained national prominence with “We Can Always Come Back To This”. His hit co-write aired on multiple episodes of the #1 NBC primetime series ‘THIS IS US’, then went on to peak at #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart, #12 on iTunes Top 100, and garner nominations for “Best Song/Recording Created for Television” from The Guild of Music Supervisors and The Jerry Goldsmith Awards. In 2020, Pierce’s collaboration with artist Sunny War in Americana duo WAR & PIERCE yielded the hit single “Amen”. “Amen” was featured on NPR’s WORLD CAFE, aired on 250 AAA / NonComm stations and has racked up over 500K spins on Spotify. Look for modern soul man Chris Pierce to impact many of the same strong influencers with ‘American Silence’ in 2021.

At age 15, Pierce developed a rare hearing disorder called Otosclerosis that led to the loss of hearing in one ear and partial deafness in the other, a setback that would deter many young musicians forever. The reality, however, fueled Chris’ passion and determination all the more, forcing him to re-learn almost everything he had known prior to his condition. To Chris, music was, and still is, an unconditional companion.

Chris has done multiple headlining tours and has also performed on stage with or opened worldwide tours for: Seal, Cold War Kids, B.B. King, Al Green, Sara Bareilles, Rodrigo y Gabriella, Jill Scott, Toots and the Maytals, Colbie Caillat, Buddy Guy, Keb’Mo’, Blind Boys of Alabama, Aaron Neville, Jamie Cullum and others. His voice and music have been heard in film and television shows including: This is Us, True Blood, Soundtrack, Crash, Rosewood, Soul Men, Brothers & Sisters, Single Ladies, Eli Stone, In Plain Sight, Dawson’s Creek, Army Wives, as well as in national ad campaigns for Lexus and Banana Republic. He also guest appears on a wide range of album recordings as a vocalist, harmonicist and guitarist. He’s confirmed for BottleRock Fest in Sept. 2021.

STEPHEN BASSETT

Stephen Bassett is the executive director of Paradigm Research Group (PRG) founded in 1996 to end a government imposed embargo on the truth behind extraterrestrial related phenomena. He has spoken to audiences around the world about the implications of “Disclosure” – the  formal confirmation by heads of state of an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race. He has given over 1200 radio and television interviews and PRG’s advocacy work has been extensively covered by national and international media including being featured on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, the Washington Post and the New York Times.

In 2013 PRG organized a “Citizen Hearing on Disclosure” at the National Press Club in Washington. In November of 2014 PRG launched a two year political initiatives out of Washington, DC that injected the ET issue into the 2016 presidential campaign. PRG recently launched a new exopolitical podcast out of Washington, DC – the DisclosureWire – based in the National Press Building two blocks from the White House. 

Bassett has appeared in many documentary films and his lectures and interviews are well represented on YouTube. 

Susan Miller is an internationally known author, columnist, entrepreneur, publisher, and pioneer of the Internet. Susan is the respected founder of Astrology Zone® AstrologyZone.com which she debuted in December 1995. Her site is considered an authority in the field of Western astrology and is read avidly by 11 million unique readers a year. Susan’s monthly forecasts published on her website and on her app, “Daily Horoscope Astrology Zone + More by Susan Miller®” on Apple App Store and Google Play are celebrated world-wide. Readers love Susan’s warmth and compassion as well as her accuracy and comprehensive reporting of current planetary trends. Susan is the author of 12 astrology books, the ever popular “The Year Ahead” astrology calendars and writes monthly columns for six international fashion magazines. She resides in her native New York City and has two daughters, Chrissy and Diana.    

You can follow and chat with Susan on twitter @astrologyzone

Vivien Schapera, at Work and at Home

Vivien Schapera began her career by training first in clinical psychology, and then in the Alexander Technique, a hands-on method for retraining neuromuscular dynamics. Through this work, Vivien developed a refined sensitivity to energy, leading her to add healing to her skills. Perceiving a need for healing to become a recognized profession, Vivien founded FourWinds Academy for the Healing Arts & Sciences (1999), a school for training healers. Vivien's books include Everyday Magic (2002 and 2020) a memoir, and How to Lose Weight and Gain Money (2004). In 2020, Vivien published an award-winning, groundbreaking textbook, The Complete Guide to Crystal Surgery, introducing the world to a new form of crystal healing. When not teaching, healing or writing, Vivien can be found gardening, cooking and spending time with her two granddaughters. Other interests include travel, photography and making YouTube videos. Vivien lives in Cincinnati, OH with her husband and two cats.

An Empowered Survivor, Michelle knows the difference between being empowered and just surviving.

Michelle was the victim of 6 rapes and one sexual assault beginning at 5 years of age, has experienced the persecution and challenges of her permanent pain work-related injury, has been stalked and powerless, and has lost some close to her to domestic murder.

Now Michelle helps people to stop being at the mercy of their trauma and triggers.

When a 17-year-old girl in Europe was allowed to die because she was struggling with the trauma of sexual assault, it broke Michelle’s heart.

She decided to share her knowledge and offer a voice in what has been a sea of silence.

Michelle is an advocate for change in sexual assault culture, and for those who have experienced sexual assault, and in 1997 set a legal precedent around sexual assault.

In 2010 Michelle disempowered a sexual predator and stopped him from raping her because she didn’t respond like a victim.

Michelle authored: “Insight Up Close and Personal Profile of Sexual Assault” for communities to better identify sexual predators and respond in a more resourceful way to the trauma of sexual assault.

Michelle has the processes and knowledge that set her, and clients, permanently free of trauma, triggers, and PTSD.

“Together we safely and easily dig up the root the difficulties, and plant something that will bloom into happiness, peace, and security.”

Stop focusing on what you don’t want and follow a proven, safe pathway to live the life you do want.

We are all Unique Walking Stories Just Waiting to be Told

Kez Wickham St George is the driver of her own creativity and her passion is to inspire and nurture others to tell their stories. Her values are simple; when you touch a heart; we can change a life. By encouraging you to write or journal her belief is, it will only add value to your life. Travelling extensively including the width and breath of Australia, she has collecting storeys and experiences. Now with nine novels published, the first three Adventures in the outback published internationally, three nationally. Two children’s books now reside in many different countries and with two Royal families. Beginning of 2019 her first book of poetry, Entwined was published, forming a corridor between the City of Rockingham and Ako, its sister city, in Japan to bring the poets and artists together. Plus an invitation to be a guest speaker at a writer’s retreat at Crom Castle Dublin Ireland late November 2019. And in 2020 Kez novel Metal Mermaid became a number one best seller in her category of adventure caravanning.                                                                                                           Kez is also a popular speaker at many local events; ever the storyteller. However mentoring and consulting  to assist others to tell their stories has become a large part of her life, running  effective creative writing  workshops plus creative journaling workshops for those that have a story to tell. Encouraging people to do what they love has resulted in four of her writing protégés from 2018/19 being published authors.  

Maurice Hall is a 2001 Watkins Award Honoree who graduated from The Ohio State University.  He was a member of the 2002 National Championship Team.  Maurice holds a Bachelors and Master's Degree.  While a student athlete at Brookhaven High School in Columbus, Maurice was a scholar with a 4.6 GPA and was named the Ohio Offensive Player of the Year.  He participated and held leadership positions in numerous organizations which prepared him for his ultimate love and passion for being in front of a camera.  Maurice is currently a rising star in the film industry as both a director and an actor.  He's appeared on several major networks and his IMbD list of credits has grown off the computer screen.     

In her long and distinguished career, CHARLENE DREW JARVIS has held positions as a neuroscientist, legislator and university president.

Dr. Jarvis’ educational background led to a career as a neuroscientist at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Md. (1971-1978). She received a BS from Oberlin College (1962), an MS from Howard University (1964), and a PhD in Neuropsychology (1971) from the University of Maryland, all the while balancing the demands of being a wife and mother of two active young boys.

Her research with co-investigators appeared in scientific publications such as the Annals of Neurology; Neuroscience Abstracts; Brain Research; the Journal of Neurophysiology; and Brain, Behavior and Evolution.

Responding to the need to help rebuild the economy of Washington, DC, after the riots that followed the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., Jarvis ran for public office and was elected 6 times to the Council of the District of Columbia (1979-2000).

Her work as Chair of the Committee on Economic Development for more than 20 years was pioneering. The Washington Convention Center, the Verizon Center, Business Improvement Districts, Tax Increment Financing, and legislative initiatives designed to prevent redlining by commercial banks stand as important and collaborative contributions.

Dr. Jarvis was appointed in 1996 as president of Southeastern University, founded by the YMCA in 1879. True to the mission of the YMCA, her goal was to give students both theoretical and practical applications of knowledge. Thirteen years later, in 2009, she orchestrated a unique merger of the University with the USDA Graduate School in Washington, DC.

The Honorable Charlene Drew Jarvis was named one of the most powerful women in Washington by “Washingtonian Magazine” in 1989, 1994, and 2007 and by “The Washington Business Journal” in 1985.

Jarvis’ legacy as the daughter of Dr. Charles R. Drew, the blood bank pioneer, has given her a special perspective as an advocate for science and health education. In her association with the American Red Cross, Dr. Jarvis has traveled to many Red Cross and Bone Marrow sites around the nation to speak about her father’s accomplishments and to encourage the participation of minority blood and marrow donors. In 2014, Dr. Jarvis was given an award for her service from the Washington, DC, Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Dr. Jarvis is the recipient of more than 100 awards for her leadership, including honorary doctorates from Amherst College, George Washington University, Oberlin College, and a Distinguished Alumni Award from Howard University.

Charlene Drew Jarvis is valued for her analytical skills, intellectual rigor, probing questions, and pragmatic approach to problem solving. These traits made her advisory contributions much in demand by dozens of major organizations and commissions.

Describing herself now as the “working” retired, Dr. Jarvis serves:

• on the Executive Committee of the Federal City Council, with its Executive Director, former Mayor Anthony Williams;
• on The Advisory Committee of the Newseum;
• on the Board of Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio
• on the Board at Edmund Burke, an Independent School
• as a Senior Advisor to a charter school with high performing students, KIPP DC;
• on the Transition Committee of Mayor Muriel Bowser
• on the board of the University of the District of Columbia
• on the Cross-Sector Task Force on Charter and DC Public Schools led by Deputy Mayor for Education, Jennie Niles

Dr. Jarvis is the mother of the late Peter David, and Ernest Drew Jarvis (Debbi Lockhart Jarvis) and grandmother to EJ and Jacob Jarvis.

In 2013, she married Dr. DeMaurice Moses, a retired pediatrician whose family shared summers with her family in a beach community outside of Annapolis, Md.

Sarah Lipton - Sidibeh, was born in London England. Sara has written three volumes of short stories, three of her stories were broadcast on the radio. Sara has receive an award from 'The Poetry Society' in England for some of her poems. Such as 'Stagnation' that was shortlisted in the National Anthology Poetry competition in 2005, her poem 'Wishful Thinking' was printed in Great Britain. Sarah was the featured Poet in 'Bareback Lit Magazine' in October 2012. She has also written a play, a children's  book, film scripts and song lyrics. And to top it off she was awarded a commended certificate for her song, ' I Wish' from the United Kingdom competition in 2016 this phenomenal women who has written two educational text books. Sarah holds honors of a BA, LLCM, and a FRSA. she is currently completing her first novel please join me  March 16, 2021 at 12 Noon for this extraordinary conversation as I welcome Sarah Lipton-Sidibeh.

Considered the “Teacher of Teachers”, Cyndi Dale is an internationally renowned author, speaker, intuitive energy healer, professor of energy medicine, and author of 27 books about energy medicine, intuition, and spirituality. She has worked with over 70,000 clients and presented hundreds of seminars and workshops across the Americas and in Russia, England, Wales, Amsterdam, Iceland, Costa Rica, Belize, Morocco, Peru, Scotland, and more. She is also a favored teacher and healer for China, leading in-person and on-line classes, and has been published in over 18 languages.

Her books include the bible of Energy Medicine and the winner of four internationally recognized Publisher’s Awards, The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy, and Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Chakras, the largest compendium of chakra knowledge ever produced (2016). Her latest release is Energy Healing for Trauma, Stress & Chronic Illness (Llewellyn, July 2020). Advanced Chakra Healing, a reissue of a popular book first printed fifteen years ago, is slated for release by Llewellyn in November 2021. Along with Dana Childs, Cyndi is also writing a book to be published in 2021 by St. Martin’s Press about making food and health choices through the chakras.

Cyndi graduated summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota with a degree in English and a minor in Philosophy. She also holds a fifth-degree Reiki certificate, the highest of distinctions in this healing arena. Cyndi currently teaches a certificate-level program at Normandale College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through which adult students earn an accredited certificate in Energy Medicine.

Justin Blalock is a 2002 Watkins Award Honoree.  He graduated from the University of Texas Longhorns where he was captain of the football team and won a National Championship in 2005.  Justin was chosen in the 2nd Round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.  He played on the offensive line for 8 consecutive years before his retirement.  Now he's studying to get his J.D. sometime in the near future.   

Deryl McKissack is Chairwoman and CEO of McKissack & McKissack, an architectural, engineering, program and construction firm managing over $15 billion in projects nationwide. During the past 25 years under her leadership, McKissack & McKissack has managed such landmark projects as the new Museum of African-American History and Culture on the National Mall, MGM National Harbor Casino, and the Navy Pier Centennial projects in Chicago; it also served as the architectural firm of record for the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.

As a licensed engineer and registered project management professional, Deryl McKissack is part of the fifth generation of her family to work in the design and construction field. McKissack & McKissack is the outgrowth of the nation’s oldest African-American architectural firm and traces its beginnings to Moses McKissack, a master builder who was also a slave.

By the age of six, Deryl was drafting architectural drawings under her father’s tutelage. After graduating from Howard University with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering, she worked at Turner Construction and Dames & Moore; while at these firms, she honed her experience in field work, business development, and construction management.

In 1990, with a shoestring budget of $1,000 and a business plan crafted with help from a mentor at her alma mater, Deryl started McKissack & McKissack. Of that formative time, she remembers, “What got me through was a whole lot of passion.”

Through Deryl’s guidance and vision, McKissack & McKissack has grown to 170 employees, with offices in Baltimore; Chicago; Dallas; Los Angeles; Miami; and Washington, D.C. The firm is ranked by Engineering News Record as one of the top Construction Management For-Fee firms in the nation and by the Washington Business Journal as one of the top 25 design firms in the metropolitan Washington area.