J.K. Yates

J.K. Yates has become the first woman to head a college or university construction management department in the U.S., working at Western Carolina University. Yates has been named the Joe W. Kimmel Distinguished Professor of Construction Management at Western Carolina University, prior to which she served as chair and professor in the department of construction management and engineering at North Dakota State University. Yates has also worked as a program developer and coordinator for the construction engineering and management focus area in civil engineering at Ohio University, and served in a similar position at San Jose State University engineering department. She has also worked for large construction and engineering firms such as URS, Bechtel and Pertamina. Yates earned her undergraduate degree in civil engineering at the University of Washington, as well as a doctoral degree in civil engineering with a concentration in construction engineering and management at Texas A&M University.