Kimberly D. Moore

Growing up on Chicago’s South Side, Kimberly Moore had always been a fan of tinkering.
Lovingly known to her family as “Ms. Fix It” — even at a young age, she was able to focus
on creative ways to solve problems. Moore received her B.S. in Electrical
Engineering from Northern Illinois University, playing D1 basketball for the NIU Huskies
while an undergraduate.
After landing a career at a nuclear power plant, Moore soon gave in to the call of secondary
education, pursuing her Master’s at NIU as well. After graduation, Moore worked in the power industry before her entrepreneurial spirit ultimately drove her to pursue her dream of starting her own electrical engineering firm.
In 2009, Moore created KDM Engineering to provide consulting services on engineering projects. Unfortunately, the effects of the recession, coupled with Moore’s father falling ill, resulted in the temporary closure of KDM while she went to care for him full-time. After his passing in 2011, Moore returned more determined than ever to build KDM into the successful company she had envisioned. Under Moore’s guiding hand and unique leadership style, KDM
has become a proven leader in the industry, growing to over 100 employees and successfully completing work on thousands of projects.
Being among the first few black women to graduate from NIU with an electrical engineering degree, Moore knows firsthand what it’s like to be the only person in the room who looks and talks like her. She has made it her mission to change that. Deeply committed to assembling a uniquely diverse team, KDM is proof of the unquestionable advantages to ensuring diversity in background, thought, and experience. Moore strongly believes that having different perspectives when solving complex issues will have a positive impact on our infrastructure well into the future. A fierce supporter of women and minorities in STEM, Moore also created Calculated Genius, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to helping underrepresented youth explore and connect to engineering. Focusing on giving back to the local community, Calculated Genius funds a summer STEM and entrepreneurship program for local high school students
and provides scholarships to women pursuing STEM-related degrees at the collegiate level.
Moore sits on multiple boards and has received numerous awards recognizing her success in building KDM Engineering into the thriving company it is today, including:

• Chicago United Business Leader of Color 2023
• Chicago Defender Women of Excellence, 2023
• Society of Women Engineers’ Entrepreneur Award, 2021
• The National Association of Women Business Owners’
Woman Business Owner of the Year, 2021
• Northern Illinois University Office of Academic Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion’s Richard A. Flournory Engagement
Award, 2020
• U.S. Small Business Administration’s Illinois Rising Star
Small Business of the Year, 2020
• EY Entrepreneur of the Year Midwest 2020 Winner
• Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Women in STEM,
2020
• Chicago Council on Science & Technology (C2ST) Young
Professional Award, 2019
• ATHENA Emerging Leader Award, 2019
• Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40, 2019
• Enterprising Women of the Year, 2018
• Engineering News-Record’s 40 Under 40 Midwest, 2018
• Engineering News-Record’s 20 Under 40 National, 2018
• Consulting Specifying Engineer’s 40 Under 40, 2018