GRAEF President and CEO John Kissinger was recently selected by the American Society of Civil Engineers to receive the prestigious 2021 Edmund Friedman Professional Recognition award. This annual award is presented to only one individual in the country who has substantially contributed to the science and profession of engineering. Kissinger is the first Wisconsin recipient to receive this award since 2008.
In addition, Kissinger received the Todd Wehr Volunteer Award from the Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals as part of the association’s 2021 National Philanthropy Day in July. The award is given annually to an individual for sustained volunteer dedication in raising philanthropic funds in Southeastern Wisconsin.
Kissinger earned a BS in Civil Engineering from UWM in 1979 and a MS in Civil & Environmental Engineering from UW-Madison in 1983. STEM Forward named him Engineer of the Year in 2018.
Over the years, Kissinger has supported the college in numerous ways. He and his wife Debra Kissinger (’77) annually contribute to the college’s undergraduate scholarship funds while building an endowed fund for civil engineering undergraduate students. From 2015-19, he chaired the college’s cabinet for the university-wide fundraising effort: Made in Milwaukee, Shaping the World: the Campaign for UWM and is the incoming president of the UWM Foundation Board, a role that will start in December.