John Kissinger '79 and Debra Kissinger '77

John Kissinger was born in Milwaukee and has been a practicing structural engineer since graduating from UWM in 1979. During a long and successful career as a design engineer and project manager, John worked on major expansions at well-known facilities such as The Wisconsin Center, The Milwaukee Art Museum, Lambeau Field, and McCormick Place. John was named the President and CEO of GRAEF in 2011. He is currently responsible for more than 250 employees in eight offices in the Midwest and Southeast.

John has been active in the Milwaukee community serving on numerous non-profit and charitable boards including Employ Milwaukee, United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, and The Zoological Society of Milwaukee County. He is also active in his profession, serving as a State and National Director and Chair-Elect for the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the UWM Foundation.

John has been honored as a Newsmaker by Engineering News-Record Magazine for his work on the Milwaukee Art Museum with Santiago Calatrava, as Engineer of the Year by Stemforward, and he received the Chairman’s award from ACEC WI.

John’s wife Debra is also a Milwaukee native. She studied as a Theater Arts major at the UWM Peck School of the Arts for three years before leaving school for work. Debra served as a forensic judge at Milwaukee High School of the Arts and later coached forensics at Wauwatosa East High School. She performed in many shows in community and semi-professional theater throughout the Milwaukee area for over 20 years, before retiring. She has always been integral in John’s success at GRAEF, providing unyielding support.