McCailey Mitchell found her way into construction through an early love of architecture and design. After stepping away from the industry to explore other interests, a new opportunity brought her back, this time as a project administrator for Lee Construction in Garden City, Kansas. Now deeply involved in coordinating projects and building relationships with her team and community, McCailey is passionate about encouraging others, especially women, to explore the many paths construction has to offer.
McCailey Mitchell is a project administrator for Lee Construction in Garden City, Kansas, where she handles much of the day-to-day communication and coordination between subcontractors and vendors. Homeschooled in Garden City, McCailey excelled in the arts throughout her education, particularly in literature and history. It was her love of architecture, especially older architectural styles, that first drew her toward a career in construction.
McCailey is also passionate about encouraging other women to consider careers in construction, noting that lingering stigmas can discourage women from pursuing the field even though their presence often benefits a project’s overall success. She encourages people not to let outside opinions distort their own interests, and emphasizes that hands-on experience often provides more practical value than a purely classroom-based education, especially for hands-on career paths.
As a project administrator, McCailey enjoys starting her day by reviewing project lists and progress, and much of her role centers on coordinating with subcontractors and vendors to keep projects moving smoothly. She finds particular pride in driving past active job sites and seeing her company’s equipment and crews at work. Looking ahead, she plans to stay in the construction field for the next several years, valuing the organizational aspects of her job and the relationships she’s built with coworkers and the broader community. She also speaks to the practical benefits of being multilingual in construction, noting that her semi-fluency in French and ability to communicate with Spanish-speaking coworkers helps build trust and smooth communication on the job site.
