JARRELL D. JOHNSON

About Jarrell

Jarrell D. Johnson is an accomplished engineer and national leader whose career spans more than a decade in architectural restoration and service within the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Since joining KGH in 2014, Jarrell has led the repair and restoration of a wide range of commercial and residential projects across the Chicago metropolitan area, from high-rise residential towers and parking structures to landmark historic buildings. He has developed multi-million-dollar restoration proposals, partnered in high-profile property conversions, and overseen complex construction administration with dozens of contractors and hundreds of crew members. His portfolio includes the residential conversion of Chicago’s Tribune Tower, restoration of the historic Drake Tower Apartments, and the nation’s first full replacement of cast iron panels with fiber-reinforced polymer composites at the Willoughby Tower, a federal landmark.

A long-time NSBE leader, Jarrell currently serves as the National Professionals Chair, having previously held roles as Chair-Elect, National Programs Chair, and Region IV Advisory Board Chair. Recognized early on as Region I Member of the Year (2008–2009) and the Society’s first collegiate Lifetime Member, his leadership has consistently produced results for both professional and collegiate members.

As the newest member of the Pauli Murray Awards Foundation Board, Jarrell brings a rare blend of technical mastery, project leadership, and community vision—drawing on both his track record of restoring iconic landmarks and his decades of advancing Black engineering excellence to help restore and elevate the too-often ignored legacy of Black LGBTQ+ changemakers—ensuring their brilliance is preserved, celebrated, and made visible for generations to come.