My Mom Is a Construction Manager

As a kid, I loved LEGO sets and puzzles.

In school, I loved math and problem-solving. When I got to high school, I would spend hours drafting houses and isometrics. In college, I was going to be the next famous architect.

My love for people, negotiating, communicating, coordinating, collaborating, and knowledge of design lead me to construction. Construction is an industry where I can use all of my skills, passion, experience, and expertise to create infrastructure that will help people and communities.

Isn’t that what life is all about?

So now, I have an amazing opportunity. I get to assist corporations, general contractors, subcontractors, design teams, and communities with their construction needs. And, on this journey I have set an example for my kids and authored “My Mom is a Construction Manager,” which aims to inspire many others to pursue their dreams and reach their goals.

This book is inspired by a true story written from the perspective of my four children. It’s written for the little girl, the young lady, the college student, the professional who is in a male-dominated industry. This book empowers, inspires, motivates, uplifts, encourages and supports those who dream big and realize that it can be done even if it has not been done before. It speaks to the trailblazers who are motivated by the words, "no" and "you can't."

Growing up, my parents always told me I could do anything I set my mind to. As a young Black girl in Northern Virginia, of course, that message was not always conveyed by the rest of the world around me. My guidance counselor would not even sign for me to go to an HBCU. Through it all, I did find a counselor who would, and I enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University, where I majored in Architectural Engineering.

Upon graduation, I took a job as an architect—and on the second day, I knew it wasn’t for me. Not because I wasn’t good at it, but because I didn’t see opportunity for all my talents to be equally leveraged. I also loved to work with people, negotiate, problem solve and manage projects. So I set my sights on construction. I knew as a construction manager, I could speak design to architects, talk function with the engineers, negotiate with stakeholders and be actively involved in each community I was building in. The industry definitely didn’t choose me, but I was determined to achieve.

About the Author: Akilah Darden is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University with a B.S. in Architectural Engineering and an MBA from Marymount University. She is the founder and president of The Darden Group, LLC, a thriving construction management company. She also has an online course entitled Construction Management Masterclass.