C-Level Awards 2026: Pat Kressin, President and CEO, GRAEF

Pat Kressin has spent three decades building something rare in the engineering world — a career defined as much by the leaders he develops as the projects he delivers.

Kressin leads GRAEF, a Milwaukee-based engineering, planning and design firm founded in 1961 with 310 employees. He was named president in 2025 and added CEO responsibilities in 2026.

His rise through the firm spans roles in landscape architecture, urban design and business development before stepping into the firm’s top leadership position.

Kressin leads with a people-first philosophy, prioritizing culture, mentorship and employee retention as strategic advantages. He introduced Innovation Day, a dedicated time for teams to focus on continuous improvement, and has championed real-time dashboards, predictive backlog modeling and AI adoption to sharpen decision-making firm-wide.

His civic footprint is equally broad, with board service at Discovery World, the Wisconsin Policy Forum and GRAEF’s own board of directors, among others.

“Pat is the kind of leader every organization hopes to have,” said Justyce Dixon, director of communications and marketing at GRAEF. “He empowers people to lead, grow, and succeed alongside him, making his impact felt far beyond the firm itself.”