Kimberly Moore
Engineer  ·  Founder  ·  Builder

I lead
by building.

From Chicago's South Side to boardrooms, microgrids, and classrooms — every institution I've built is proof that the right leader creates what the community is missing.

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Systems thinker
From power grids to nonprofits — she designs for scale, equity, and long-term impact across every institution she builds.
Operator first
Multi-million dollar firm. 100+ team members. Multiple cities. A 100% repeat-client base. Not a visionary who hands it off — she runs it.
Community-rooted
Every venture traces back to access, representation, and Chicago's South Side — where it all started.
Kimberly Moore
Chicago, Illinois
The kid they called "Ms. Fix It" grew up to build one of the largest Black woman-owned engineering firms in the country.
Kimberly D. Moore is an electrical engineer, entrepreneur, and institution builder. She earned her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from NIU — among the first Black women to do so — before working in nuclear power, founding a recording studio, and eventually building KDM Engineering into a nationally recognized MBE/WBE firm spanning power, distribution, substation, and transmission & renewables. She founded Calculated Genius in 2017 to fix the STEM pipeline she didn't see for herself coming up. She holds board seats at First Women's Bank, North Branch Works, JANO, Calculated Genius, and the City of Chicago Affirmative Action Advisory Board.
2012KDM Engineering begins operations — built from the ground up with no outside funding
2015KDM becomes prime consultant for ComEd
2017Founded Calculated Genius to fix the STEM pipeline she didn't see for herself coming up
2020KDM crosses 100 team members — one of the largest Black woman-owned engineering firms in the country
2023Opened 1308 Chicago — a 2x Michelin-recommended restaurant
2024Calculated Genius crosses $1.1M raised for scholarships and programming
NowLaunching KDM's Transmission & Renewables practice
What I'm building now
Transmission & Renewables at KDM STEMinist Scholars program New restaurant concept

Every build answers the same question.

What does this community need that doesn't exist yet? The answer has always been the same: build it.

Engineering firm  ·  Operating since 2012
KDM Engineering
Nationally certified MBE/WBE electrical engineering firm. Power, distribution, substation, and transmission & renewables. Multiple office locations. 100+ team members, 100% repeat-client base.
kdmengineering.com
Nonprofit  ·  Est. 2017
Calculated Genius
STEM programming, mentoring, and the STEMinist Scholarship — 122+ scholars supported, $1.1M+ raised for scholarships and programming since 2017. Because representation in engineering doesn't happen by accident. Someone has to build the pipeline.
calculatedgenius.org
Restaurant  ·  2x Michelin-recommended
1308 Chicago
Vegetable-forward, southern-inspired dining on N. Elston Ave. Opened in 2023 and earned 2x Michelin recommendations — because that dining experience deserved to exist in Chicago. Now closed, but the standard it set lives on.
Now closed
Food & hospitality  ·  In development
New Restaurant Concept
A new dining venture with Danielle Moore of Semicolon Bookstore. Rooted in the same Michelin-recognized standard set by 1308 Chicago. Built on the belief that every community deserves exceptional food made with intention.
Coming soon

On stage
and in the room.

Two decades of real operator experience — not theory. Kimberly speaks from a place of having actually done it: built the firm, written the checks, hired the people, and fought for the seat at the table.

Keynote addresses
Commencement speeches
Executive panels & roundtables
Board & advisory roles
Mentorship & STEM programming
Book Kimberly
01
Building while Black and female
Entrepreneurship, access, and what it actually takes to own your lane in an industry that wasn't built for you.
02
Infrastructure & equity
How the power grid, clean energy transition, and community development are inseparable — and who gets left behind when they're treated as separate.
03
The STEM pipeline problem
Why representation in engineering still lags, what structural fixes actually work, and how Calculated Genius is proving it.
04
Scaling a mission-driven firm
From zero clients to a multi-million dollar firm — what it costs, what it takes, and how to grow without losing the reason you started.
Press & Recognition

The work speaks.
The press follows.

NBC Chicago Chicago Sun-Times Crain's Chicago Business AfroTech PNC Women Who Achieve ENR Magazine Consulting-Specifying Engineer START TV Chicago Defender
Women in Innovation Award — Chicago Innovation, 2024
National Society of Black Engineers Legend Honoree, 2024
Chicago United Business Leaders of Color, 2023
Chicago Defender Women of Excellence, 2023
Crain's Chicago Notable Black Leaders & Executives, 2022
Society of Women Engineers Entrepreneur Award, 2021
NAWBO Woman Business Owner of the Year, 2021
EY Entrepreneur of the Year — Midwest, 2020
NIU Richard A. Flournoy Engagement Award, 2020
SBA Illinois Rising Star Small Business of the Year, 2020
Crain's Chicago Notable Women in STEM, 2020
C2ST Young Professional Award, 2019
ATHENA Emerging Leader Award, 2019
Crain's Chicago 40 Under 40, 2019
Enterprising Women of the Year, 2018
ENR Top 40 Under 40 Midwest, 2018
ENR Top 20 Under 40 National, 2018
Consulting-Specifying Engineer 40 Under 40, 2018
Podcasts & Media

The conversation
continues.

Catch Kimberly on podcasts, video features, and media appearances where she goes deeper on engineering, entrepreneurship, and building with purpose.

NBC Chicago
Meet Chicago's ultimate power couple — Danielle and Kimberly Moore
TV Feature
NBC Chicago Today
From engineering to philanthropy: restaurateur and STEM advocate
TV Feature
HerStories Podcast
Kimberly Moore — HerStories
Podcast
Ordinarily Extraordinary
A conversation with Kimberly Moore
Podcast
Achiiv Podcast
Designing for success in engineering
Podcast
Spreaker
Designing for success in engineering, with Kimberly Moore
Podcast
START TV
Kimberly Moore tells her MyStart Story
Video Feature
PNC Bank
Women Who Achieve — Kimberly Moore
Video Feature

Let's
talk.

Board roles, speaking engagements, mentorship requests, and media inquiries welcome. Reach out with context about what you're building and why you think Kimberly belongs in the room.

Board & Advisory
Governance · Strategy
Speaking
Keynote · Panel · Commencement
Mentorship
STEM · Entrepreneurship
Media & Press
Interview · Feature