In high school, Harrison Staley dreamed of becoming a military pilot and, eventually, a commercial airline pilot. However, while applying to various service academies, he also considered engineering a possible career path.
Through his connections to the BEYA STEM community, Staley visited the United States Naval Academy and met cadets.
He was also fortunate to attend a submarine inauguration ceremony. Eventually, after learning that he would not be accepted into the flight training program, Staley decided to attend the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
He had a strong background in math and science and had taken the related AP classes. However, he did not take the AP exams because the U.S. Naval Academy did not allow you to test out of their classes. Still, engineering seemed like a good fit.
Although he was not sure which engineering field he would major in, he believes there is something for everyone in engineering if you have a background in math and science.
The BEYA Experience
During his first two years at the University of Illinois, Staley traveled to BEYA STEM conferences with other students.
He recalled that lecture halls at the University of Illinois would often have only two or three students of color in a room of two hundred students.
But at the BEYA STEM conference, he found Black engineering students from around the country gathered in one place. It was a pleasant surprise as he did not attend a historically Black college and university (HBCU).
The BEYA STEM Conference will celebrate its 40th anniversary in February 2026.
When the U.S. Marine Corps expressed interest in his junior year of college, Staley was on the verge of using his contacts at the BEYA Career Fair to broaden his corporate internship experience.
Still hoping for a career in commercial aviation Harrison pursued a commission as a second lieutenant with the U.S Marine Corps which he ultimately received.
Unfortunately, he again was not able to enter the flight training program. When flying was not on the horizon, his engineering degree with a mechanical and structural concentration came in handy in the construction industry.
Landing a first job, Professional development
Staley’s first job was at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport. He was familiar with parts of buildings and design drawings. He knew how to design mechanical systems and steel.
However, to plug in the holes for construction management, Staley returned to school to earn a master's degree in engineering and construction management at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
He believes that without this master's degree and Certified Construction Manager credential, he probably would not have been as successful.
Currently, Staley is a certified construction manager, project executive, and team leader at Ardmore Roderick with over 28 years of experience in buildings, aviation, transportation, and, site improvement projects.
At Ardmore Roderick, he leads multi-million-dollar projects. He currently serves as the project executive for the project management team overseeing the construction of a multi-million Presidential Center.
The campus includes a two-story parking garage, library, forum, expansive park that partially covers the buildings, and an eight-story tower that houses the presidential museum. The campus sits on a 19.3-acre site, and the buildings include approximately 225,000 SF.
Previously, Staley was the program lead for the Connect Chicago Alliance Joint Venture and was responsible for managing the Chicago Department of Aviation Midway Modernization and Capital Improvement Programs with a construction budget of $500 million
The three main projects for the Modernization Program were a new parking garage ($150 million), an expanded pedestrian bridge ($100 million), and new concessions offerings throughout the airport ($60 million).
The Capital Improvement Program included various airside and non-airside maintenance and renovation projects.
Staley is an active member of the professional community locally and nationally. In Chicago, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Chapter of the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) and the Board of Directors for the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association (HACIA).
At the national level, he serves as the chair of the Construction Management Certification Institute (CMCI) Board of Governors.
Tips for Success
Staley keeps a whiteboard in front of his desk to keep track of his tasks. He thinks the typewriting classes he took in high school have given him an edge in time management.
"Just being able to type 50/60 words a minute puts you ahead of most people who still do not know the keyboard," he said.
Leaving most recreational activities until after college is one of many advice he would give his younger self.
"I went to college at 17, and I could've focused more on my studies," he reflected. "I did fine but could have done better and still have time to do all the other stuff later."
Bright future ahead for a new generation of engineers
Staley thinks the future of his industry is bright. The infrastructure bill contained $110 billion to rebuild 173,000 miles of U.S. highways and major roads and 45,000 bridges in poor condition. This is the single most significant dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the national highway system.
"There are approximately 660 school buildings within the Chicago Public School system, so there are always some in need of renovation," he added. "My first job was at O'Hare Airport. I met people twenty-something years ago who are still working on improvements at the airport because it is a continual necessity," Staley said.
He says work never stops at airports because things must be constantly renovated.
“The contractor of a project I'm working on now probably has about three dozen young engineers," he remarked.
Staley added that more people are retiring in engineering than kids are coming out of school to do engineering.
"In this field, experience means everything. They need more and more engineers, whether for roads and bridges or buildings. They need people to design them and manage them. And the salaries will be high because the demand is high."
