2014 Engineer of the Year: Joseph Kessler

Joseph F. Kessler, PE (BS EE ’93, MEng EE ’00, MBA ’10) was named 2014 UB Engineer of the Year by the UB Engineering Alumni Association (UB EAA) on February 17, 2014. Kessler was recognized for his continuous support to UB engineering over the past 15 years, which includes hosting internships for UB students and donations to the school. The event was held at UB in Agrusa Auditorium, Davis Hall, in conjunction with the annual Order of the Engineer ceremony.

Kessler used a quote from the late Fred Rogers, “Imagining something may be the first step in making it happen, but it takes real time and real efforts of real people to learn things, make things, turn thoughts into deeds or visions into inventions,” as he addressed the engineering students in attendance. He encouraged them to always be lifetime learners and congratulated them on their achievements to date.

Kessler is senior vice president of power generation for the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the largest public power organization in the country. He is a senior member of the IEEE, a director of the Erie-Niagara Chapter of the New York State Society of Professional Engineers (NYSSPE) and has been an active member of the Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI’s) Research Advisory Council for the past year.

In addition to his support to UB Engineering, Kessler has promoted the engineering profession to students at the middle school level through Erie 1 BOCES, the high school level through Project Lead-the-Way, and the college level as a scholarship committee member and mentor to several interns at NYPA.

The award was presented by Dean Liesl Folks and the President of the UBEAA, Jeffrey W. Dudek (BS CIE ’00).