Have Yo u H ea r d
Fra Kessler
Fra Zupnik
Brett Kessler (Iowa, '87) named President-Elect of the American
Stanley Zupnik (Maryland, '55) provided the lead gift of $25M
Dental Association. Dr. Brett Kessler, a dentist in Denver, Colo., is the
for an Engineering Hall at Maryland. Stanley R. Zupnik Hall to
new President-Elect of the American Dental Association (ADA). Dr.
open in Maryland Engineering Complex in 2026. From a young age,
Kessler was recently elected at the ADA House of Delegates Meeting
Stanley R. Zupnik (’59) knew he wanted to be a builder and real estate
at ADA SmileCon™ in Orlando, Fla., on Oct. 10.
developer. The Washington, D.C., native was the first in his family to attend college and earn a bachelor’s degree. A civil engineering major,
Dr. Kessler has been an active volunteer leader and member of the
Zupnik started his education having already worked as an engineer on
ADA for 26 years. Since 2019, Dr. Kessler has represented the 14 th
job sites.
District on the ADA Board of Trustees, and he has chaired several ADA committees, including the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the
After graduating, he went to work in the construction industry as
Audit Committee and the Science and Research Institute, on which he
one of a few builders he knew with the advantage of an engineering
is currently serving his second term.
degree. In 1964, Zupnik launched his own construction firm, Majestic Builders, which quickly became among the greater Washington,
He served as president of the Colorado Dental Association from 2014-
D.C., region’s top residential construction management and general
2015, and prior to his term, he held a plethora of other leadership roles
contracting firms; Majestic was also among the first firms to use IBM
within the organization. Dr. Kessler graduated from the University
System/36 computers for project management and scheduling.
of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry and completed his General Practice Residency at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
To help position the next generation of engineers to build a smarter
Dr. Kessler has been an educator at the University of Colorado School
the impact of his Maryland Engineering education made a $25
of Dental Medicine and the University of Michigan. A national wellness
million naming gift toward the state-of-the-art, 157,000-square-foot
and leadership speaker, he is also a five-time Ironman triathlete, ultra-
Stanley R. Zupnik Hall. UMD’s newest facility for research, innovation,
marathoner and avid trail runner. In addition to his work as a clinician,
entrepreneurship, and education—which ceremonially broke ground
he has been involved with volunteer organizations which promote
in November 2022—fostering collaboration between a number of
substance abuse advocacy and wellbeing. He is married to Gina
engineering disciplines.
Kessler, D.D.S., and they have four children together.
the
Octagonian
future for the good of all, the real estate mogul who never forgot
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