Joseph Keller, a 1979 Penn State graduate, speaks to an engineering class as part of his Alumni Fellow Award designation.
Penn State Alumni Fellow award recipient, Joseph G. Keller, returned to Penn State Altoona on Oct. 26 to meet with students and take a tour of the new Penn Building at the downtown campus where many rail transportation engineering classes are held. Keller attended Penn State Altoona before transferring to University Park to complete his degree in engineering in 1976.
The Alumni Fellow Award, established in 1973, is life-long and the most prestigious award given by the Penn State Alumni Association in cooperation with the University's academic colleges, campuses, and the Office of the President. Alumni are nominated by a college or campus as leaders in their professional fields and accept an invitation from the president of the University to return to campus to share their expertise with students, faculty and administrators.
Keller is president of Keller Engineers, Inc., located in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. He founded the company in 1991 and oversees the day-to-day operations, working with the firm’s board of directors to ensure policies lead to continued growth. Keller Engineers provides civil engineering, structural engineering, and surveying services to the public and private sectors. Twenty-nine of the firm’s 60 employees are Penn State graduates.
Keller began his career at P. Joseph Lehman, Inc., Consulting Engineers. He is a licensed professional engineer in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, and Tennessee.
Keller volunteers his time to support various nonprofit organizations. A firm believer in the power of a strong community, he provides the time and resources necessary for his employees to do the same. Keller believes that a successful business comprises staff, clients, and the community. Keller serves on the Industrial Advisory Committee and the Philanthropic Council at Penn State Altoona. In 2012, Keller Engineers, Inc. was inducted into the Platinum category of Penn State Altoona’s Ivyside Society for making a major gift to support Penn State Altoona’s Rail Transportation Engineering program.
In 2008, Keller was selected as the Pennsylvania Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Penn State Altoona honored Keller in 2015 with the Outstanding Alumni Award for being a leader in his career and the community.
Life members of the Penn State Alumni Association, Keller and his wife, Joan, live in Hollidaysburg. Their son, Jared, works in suburban Washington, D.C.
Keller was recognized by the Penn State Alumni Association along with 23 other graduates on Oct. 26 at University Park. Each Alumni Fellow received a commemorative award, designed and hand cast by 1972 Penn State graduate Jeanne Stevens-Sollman, an acclaimed sculptor and medalist, and a 2007 Alumni Fellow.
