In Good Company
Shayna Miller, a project manager in McCarthy's Kansas City office, guides some of the firm's most demanding healthcare projects — and the teams that deliver them.
With an engineer's eye and a knack for keeping crews in sync, Shayna Miller is built for project management.
But it's not the technical demands of the job that inspire her; it's the people.
"What fuels me, day in and day out, are the relationships I build with coworkers, trade partners and clients," she says. "That's what drives me."
As part of McCarthy’s Kansas City business unit, Miller oversees an active roster of healthcare work for clients that include Saint Luke’s Health System, HCA Midwest Health and AdventHealth.
Her purview involves tracking and managing logistical details for multiple concurrent jobs as well as onboarding and training teams on McCarthy's rigorous operational procedures.
Navigating the challenges of building on active hospital campuses adds a layer of intricacy to the work. “I love the complex things that we have to wrap our heads around,” Miller explains. “Developing infection control risk assessments and detailing the logistics of how workers travel securely through spaces without disrupting clinical staff or patients are fun puzzles to solve.”
Shayna was the Project Manager at the recently completed Saint Luke's East Ambulatory Surgery Center.
The expansion and renovation project significantly increased Saint Luke’s outpatient capacity with 14 procedure rooms and 135 exam rooms.
This complex expansion and renovation on an active, congested campus required careful sequencing to minimize disruption to patient care and campus circulation.
The surgery center is a single building with five tenants and five opening dates, increasing complexity for inspections, turnover milestones and coordination across stakeholders.
Beyond the technical skills required to keep projects on track, Miller believes that successful project delivery is fundamentally rooted in human connections.
It’s about understanding what truly excites team members when they come to work, recognizing where they want to grow and keeping those lines of communication open. Taking the time to discover what a craft professional enjoys doing outside of work builds immense trust.
Project Manager
Her advice to aspiring project managers flows from the same place. “Ask questions constantly — about the construction, the processes and the people — and keep pushing even when the answers don't come easily,” she says. “If you have people skills, can organize yourself and learn to solve problems, things tend to work out.”
Wired to Build
Miller’s connection to construction dates back to her childhood in St. Charles County, Missouri.
Growing up, she had a front-row seat to the building process during the construction of her family’s new custom home and the ongoing development of her surrounding neighborhood. She also drew inspiration from her uncle — Dan Gettemeier — who spent part of his early career as an electrical estimator at McCarthy’s St. Louis office.
Miller opted to pursue an architectural engineering degree at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) in Rolla. Leaning into campus life, she pledged the Chi Omega sorority and served as a teaching assistant in the architectural engineering student group. She also met her future husband, Greg, a fellow classmate.
A formative eight-month co-op with a regional general contractor confirmed her career direction. “I just knew I couldn’t sit behind a desk nonstop,” she says. “I love being out there, seeing everything go into place and working with the people doing the work.”
She gained additional hands-on experience during an internship with another mid-sized contractor, then signed on full-time with that company after completing her bachelor’s degree in 2009. Over the next 14 years, she managed a diverse range of assignments across the K-12 and higher education, commercial, advanced manufacturing and healthcare sectors.
The Right Move
Though Miller had built a successful career, she found herself drawn to more demanding projects and increasingly curious about what she might learn somewhere new. “Sometimes it’s easy to get comfortable in what we're doing,” she says. “It's nice to constantly challenge yourself — to see what it's like in other places.”
The nudge came unexpectedly. At a casual networking gathering, Miller met a few folks from McCarthy and came away intrigued by what she heard. The conversation continued on and off for about six months before she chose to make the move to McCarthy.
Three years into her tenure, Miller has no regrets.
What I value deeply about McCarthy is that we know our worth. We are subject matter experts. We focus intensely on strategic pursuits, making sure we place the right individuals on projects where they can truly excel.
Project Manager
That strategic intentionality extends to how the firm fosters internal growth and consistency across regions. “Any time I’m at a training with other offices, I come back fueled with good energy and new ideas,” she notes.
Ultimately, Miller believes this internal alignment and pride directly translate into how McCarthy teams show up on the jobsite and in the communities where they build. “Whether we are introducing ourselves to clinical neighbors before a year-long build or walking a jobsite with our superintendents, taking the extra care to present ourselves with pride is what sets us apart,” Miller says. “We want to ensure that time and time again, clients choose McCarthy for their next building project.”
Get to Know Shayna Miller
- Shayna lives in Overland Park with her husband, Greg, an electrical engineer. They have three children: Lana (11), Audrey (9) and Graham (6).
- Running and other outdoor activities keep Shayna on the move. Her husband stays busy coaching the kids' soccer teams.
- The family also enjoys exploring Kansas City’s local landmarks, parks and cultural exhibits.
- To unwind, Shayna loves to paint rooms and tackle home renovations. “It’s my de-stressor,” she says. “Refinishing old nightstands or putting custom wood detailing on a wall at nine or ten o'clock at night gives me a tangible outlet for creativity.”
