Jimmy founded UJAMAA Construction in 2002. His vision was to create a company that would provide exceptional construction services in a socially responsible manner, to “rebuild our community one block at a time.” UJAMAA has grown dramatically under his leadership, and is now the premier diversity construction firm in the city of Chicago.
Jimmy earned a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology and completed numerous MBA courses at Purdue University. He graduated from the Entrepreneurship Center program at Purdue University Calumet and is a member of the inaugural NextOne entrepreneurial program with the Chicago Urban League and Northwestern University’s Kellogg Business School. He also successfully completed the Executive Education program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He is a past Chair of the Builders’ Association and the Illinois Chapter of the Association of General Contractors.
Jimmy has been honored with several distinguished community and professional awards. He and his wife and family live in the community where UJAMAA was founded.
Les is a Vice President at UJAMAA Construction. He brings over three decades of construction industry experience to our team. Les has earned degrees in Master of Science, Civil Engineering, Construction Management, and a Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering both the University of Illinois.
Les’s role is crucial for UJAMAA’s continued success. He is deeply involved in projects from inception through close-out, including strategic plans, construction contracting, contract negotiations, bidding, project planning, preconstruction efforts, staffing, scheduling and client relations.
Ron is a Project Executive at Ujamaa Construction Inc., with over 28 years construction industry experience. joining Ujamaa in 2010, he has held key responsibilities that include the planning, programing, and project management of complex healthcare and institutional assignments in the company. In addition, Ron lead the safety and risk practices at Ujamaa, and under his leadership UJAMAA has seen a significant reduction of safety incidents, and improvement to the company safety program. He is a AP accredited professional and certified by the Healthcare Facilities Design Certification.
Todd is the co-principal and vice president, at Ujamaa construction, Inc. Having joined UJAMAA in 2010, Todd offers over 30 years of construction industry expertise and has knowledge of all construction delivery methods. In his current role as vice president, he oversees the company’s operations and management teams, ensuring that the proper policies and process are in place to ensure our client’s absolute satisfaction. Todd is an active member of many organizations and sits on the board of organizations including The Renaissance Collaborative, Chicago Builders Association – Education & Training Foundation, ACE Tech Charter High School and Black Contractors United. Todd also volunteers his time at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) as a coach and positive role model for young people.
Marcus C. Evans is the Director of Diversity and Community Engagement at UJAMAA Construction, Inc. With over 20 years of experience in construction, he provides a keen awareness of the importance of building a diverse pipeline of talent for the industry. In his current role, he leads UJAMAA’s internal and external commitment to advancing workforce compliance, community engagement, diversity, equity, and inclusive best practices.
His position partners with public, private, non-profit, advocacy, and political agencies to further drive UJAMAA’s mission to ensure our construction projects mirror the communities in which we serve. Marcus earned a Master of Public Administration from Roosevelt University. In addition, he holds a Bachelor of Arts from Alcorn State University. He serves on the Board of Directors for Chicagoland General Contractors Association (CAGC). Marcus is also the Vice President and a Board member of United States Minority Contractors Association (USMCA), Chicago Chapter.
Anna is the Director of Accounting at UJAMAA Construction. She has 19 years of experience in the construction industry with 14 years in the management role. Her experience includes work with various subcontractor and general contractors as she learned the business from PR/AP Clerk to Project Accountant to Director of Accounting. Since joining UJAMAA, ANNA has brought a streamlined approach, and responsive management practices to the administrative and financial functions of the company.
Marcia Dawson is the Director of Accounting at UJAMAA Construction, with over 10 years of accounting experience and more than 5 years in the management role. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with Accounting concentration from Chicago State University. Marcia joined UJAMAA Construction in 2018 as a Project Accountant later becoming the Director of Accounting.
Marcia’s role is of paramount importance to UJAMAA. By integrating her innovative approach to expert accounting with a comprehensive management leadership, she is able to navigate our firm towards success.
