Dr. Kia Sutton’s bold transformation from pharmacist to engineering executive
After a decade in healthcare, this trailblazer is reshaping infrastructure development and building a legacy
Dr. Kia Sutton is redefining what it means to pivot careers with purpose. As the director of business development at Infrastructure Engineering Incorporated, she has spent the past four years building a department from the ground up while helping scale a minority-owned engineering firm into a national powerhouse. Come January 2026, she will step into the role of vice president of business development, leading expansion efforts across multiple markets. Her journey from pharmacist to engineering executive is a masterclass in transformation, family legacy and the power of taking calculated risks during uncertain times.
You began in pharmacy before transitioning to business development and engineering. What motivated that shift?
Since I was young, I was drawn to the medical profession. I played basketball and swam competitively, which naturally led me toward pharmacy. After hurting my ankle playing basketball in college, I focused entirely on that path and spent almost a decade in the field. I lived in a multi-generational home with my grandmother, parents and siblings, and through all those sports injuries, I became good at treating myself and recommending treatments for others.
During the pandemic, like many people, I started realizing what was truly important. I was working 12-hour shifts and felt disconnected from my original goal of changing lives. The healthcare system sometimes dictates what you can and cannot do, which became frustrating. The pandemic exposed gaps in the structure, and I knew I needed a change.
My father owned a solar engineering firm that he started when I was 15. When I quit my pharmacy job and told him I was job hunting, he was expanding his business development department. He joked that if I could talk to patients about pills, I could talk about engineering services. I just needed to change my lingo and bring my personality with me.
At first, I was hesitant about working for a parent. I wanted separation between our relationship and the company. But after thinking about everything he accomplished and seeing him slow down a bit, I decided to try it. Four years later, I am still here.
How do you approach identifying opportunities that align with long-term strategic goals?
From my pharmacy background, I learned to look at numbers, trends and baselines. I examine our core services and what we are good at, then look at what we want to expand into. You always have to look at the money. I review state budgets and agency budgets, which usually have five-year plans and look-aheads. I gauge how agencies are spending their money, how that aligns with our services, then make a plan and execute it.
The business operates across multiple regions. How do you adapt strategies to fit each location?
Right now, I am the boots on the ground for all our markets. I approach it by recognizing that 80 percent of cities are probably the same. You have your agencies, the people you need to know and the projects. Then you have those little nuggets that each city has. New York, for instance, is a tougher city to crack, so you may need to nurture relationships more. In the South, people tend to be friendlier.
I just returned from Los Angeles, where we are opening a new office. We are making sure we meet all the agencies and let them know we are here to help. Building trust is crucial in professional services. Showing experience from other markets, delivering on that initial project and gaining their trust is how we expand and maintain our current markets.
What were the biggest challenges helping IEI build relationships in the industry?
We were a new department, so building it from the ground up has been both a challenge and an exciting opportunity. We are scaling from a small firm to a medium-sized one and preparing to become larger. Right now, we have over 220 employees. Our strategic plan ended in 2025 with a goal of 200 people, and we hit 225. Our next milestone is 1,000 people by 2040.
One of my biggest focuses is putting systems in place as we scale. When you are a mom-and-pop business, you are running around so much that you do not have time to stop and create systems. Now that we are getting bigger, I cannot do everything myself. I need boots on the ground in our locations with systems that can run independently.
How do you see volunteerism influencing professional growth and corporate culture?
With everything happening in the world right now, I think it is crucial for companies to give back. When I was a pharmacist, I was involved in the AIDS Run Walk and blood pressure drives, making sure we provided services to people who might not be able to afford them or have health insurance. I believe every human deserves healthcare.
At Infrastructure Engineering, we established the Infrastructure Engineering Foundation to give back where we work. My father has a powerful story. He grew up in the Altgeld Gardens projects on the far south side of Chicago. When he was in second or third grade, a Black architect came to his school. He had never seen a Black engineer before. Carrying that forward and making sure communities see people like us is important. Our company is very diverse, so they see many different people. I hope that plants a seed in children from preschool to high school that they can pursue these careers and see people who look like them.
How do you advocate for inclusion within IEI and the broader engineering community?
I think diversity is one of our strengths. We are very intentional about it, and we are looking for the best of the best. From our ownership structure down to the employees, we make sure we have women, different races, ethnicities and, because we have offices in different locations, geographic diversity too. Everybody from their lens brings different strengths. All that together makes us a strong firm. I wish more people would embrace diversity and see that it helps everyone.
What advice would you give to women of color seeking leadership roles in underrepresented industries?
I would say what I tell my daughter. First, have tough skin. You are going into a role that may be male-dominated, so do not take anything too personally. Bring your best foot forward and always come prepared. Take care of yourself through self-care. I preach that all the time. You cannot be your best self if you are not rested and ready to go.
Speak up. When I first came into this role, I would have ideas in meetings but would not say anything because I did not think anybody would listen to me. Having the courage to speak up, especially if you think you have something valuable to say, is important. Insert yourself and make yourself known.
What legacy do you hope to leave through your work?
My goal for IEI is to be one of the biggest African American-owned firms. I joke that we want to be like those major engineering firms. When you think of engineering, we want you to think of IEI. When you think of IEI, we want you to think of how we have contributed to the community, from talking to school-age kids to helping with food drives. We are trying to make a better world for everybody by connecting communities.
For my daughter and son, I want to show them hard work and that if you put your mind to something, you can leave an imprint on the world. Seeing their mom pivot careers, get back up after failures and celebrate wins teaches them to take the ups and downs as they come and remain positive. I want them to be self-learners and know that if they cannot figure something out, they should look at it from a different lens. I always tell them to never be afraid to come to me. I may cuss them out, but I will still help them. I always have their back.
This interview was conducted by Rolling Out’s Business Exchange.