McCarthy Names Antonya Williams Business Unit Leader of its Education Group in the Southwest Region

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. announces that Antonya Williams has been promoted to business unit leader of the firm’s Education group in the Southwest region. She will continue to serve as a member of the national firm’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT), which guides national business strategy, company culture, and business practices for the employee-owned company.

Williams Steps Up To Lead Education Projects

In her new role leading the Education group, Williams will oversee operations, planning, workforce development and community partnerships for K-12 and higher education construction teams in Arizona. Her background in operations and business expansion, combined with her empowering leadership style, position the Education group for continued growth and delivery of industry-leading collaborative construction strategies in education sectors across the region.

Williams recently led the design and development of the firm’s Innovation and Craft Workforce Training Center, which expands McCarthy’s highly regarded craft training initiative by providing hands-on technical training and skill development for current employees, trade partners, schools and workforce training programs throughout the region.  

“Antonya has an unparalleled business acumen combined with a compassionate leadership style that has continued to fuel her progression at McCarthy,” said Justin Kelton, president of McCarthy’s Southwest region. “She has a direct impact developing our strategy and building deep relationships with our teams, trade partners, designers and clients in the Southwest, and we look forward to her leading our education group with a thoughtful and innovative approach.”

Since joining McCarthy’s Southwest region in 2016, Williams has worked closely with the regional business units, including the Education group, to focus on business development, providing an exceptional team experience, achieving operational excellence, and supporting team innovations and accomplishments through the lifecycle of projects.

Learn more about McCarthy's commitment to bringing more women leadership to the industry.

Education is a natural fit for Williams as she invests her time and energy into helping others achieve their goals by mentoring members of the team, others in the industry, and young people in the community. She currently serves as a chair for ACE Mentorship in Arizona where she was instrumental in expanding the program statewide, through partnerships with school districts, to serve youth interested in careers in architecture, construction and engineering. Williams has also impacted the lives of young people by volunteering as a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters and New Pathways for Youth as well as acting as a strategic partner on New Pathways for Youth’s Advisory Council. Her leadership and mentoring have earned her recognition, including being named to the Phoenix Business Journal’s 2022 class of 40 Under 40, Construction Dive’s 2021 Top Female Leaders in Construction, AZ Business and AZRE magazines’ 2018 Most Influential Women in Arizona, and Engineering News Record’s National Top 20 under 40 in 2017.

Williams holds a bachelor’s degree in construction management from California State University, Chico. In 2021, she completed the Executive Leadership Development Program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She currently lives in Phoenix with her husband, Chris Nickle, and their three daughters.

Keep up with all the exciting changes at McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. Sign up to receive our Insights newsletter in your inbox! 

About McCarthy

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is the oldest privately held national construction company in the country – with more than 150 years spent collaborating with partners to solve complex building challenges on behalf of its clients. With an unrelenting focus on safety and a comprehensive quality program that span all phases of every project, McCarthy utilizes industry-leading design phase and construction techniques combined with value-add technology to maximize outcomes. Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work and Healthiest Employer, McCarthy is ranked the 8th largest domestic builder (Engineering News-Record, May 2022). With approximately 3,700 salaried employees and craft professionals, the firm has offices in St. Louis, Atlanta; Collinsville, Ill.; Kansas City, Kan.; Omaha, Neb.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Denver; Dallas, Houston; and San Diego, Newport Beach, Los Angeles; San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento, Calif. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com or by following the company on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.