Meet Senior Lecturer Drew Yantis

“For over 25 years, I was part of our company’s recruiting team focusing on our college recruiting at Auburn,” Yantis explained. “The resulting engagement with students, faculty, staff and administrators taught me critical lessons about working at a university.” Yantis is now a Senior Lecturer in the McWhorter School of Building Science (BSCI). A 1987 graduate of the program, he was formerly Senior Vice President of Holder Construction, where he worked for over three decades. 

As a construction professional, Drew was instrumental in the successful completion of projects totaling over $3 billion dollars and 10 million square feet. The majority of these projects were on university campuses across the United States. While employed at Holder, Yantis was an active Auburn alum, serving several years on BSCI’s Industry Executive Board and the College of Architecture, Design and Construction’s Executive Board, including two year-long terms as president of each board. Yantis received the Distinguished Service Award from the college in 2007 and 2011. He says that making the transition from industry to academia has been a positive one. “It has been great,” Yantis said. “I am incredibly fortunate to work with exceptional people and to be in the classroom with talented and hardworking students.”

Yantis teaches Project Analysis, Senior Thesis, Contracting Business and Construction Communication, a course which he thinks is vitally important. “Being a great builder does not only require great technical skills, it also requires great interpersonal and communication skills,” he explained. He enjoys teaching and sharing his years of professional experience with students and wants to make sure they are prepared for a successful future in
the industry. Yantis has come full circle and is happy to be back at the school where his own career began. “While in school at Auburn, I learned so much from my professors about the power of relationships and the benefits of a strong culture focusing on collaboration, curiosity, respect and hard work. I feel blessed to share these same values with today’s students who are tomorrow’s construction leaders.”