“In the early days, nearly everyone wonders, ‘Am I smart enough to do this?’ The answer is almost always yes. The real question is whether you’re willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve your goal.”
For Keith Kressin ’92, the values of hard work and believing in oneself weren’t just principles; they were a practice. Growing up in Mukwonago, WI, Keith’s father worked as a semi-truck driver, and his mother in human resources. Keith credits their hardworking values as a foundation for his success. “Neither of my parents attended college,” Keith recalls, “but they instilled in me the values of diligence and hard work.”
His determination and self-motivated drive led him to mow lawns and work odd jobs until he could afford to buy his first Apple computer and teach himself how to computer program through books.
However, it was a family vacation to Disney World that would give that drive a direction. While visiting the EPCOT theme park, he went on a ride called the “Wheels of Motion” that was sponsored by General Motors. The ride showcased the entire car design process, from clay modeling to aerodynamic testing to electronics. Fascinated, Keith asked a staff member what it took to work on such things. The answer was simple: “engineering.” From that moment, his passion had a name.
He selected MSOE as the perfect place to unite his interests by studying electrical engineering. Being able to commute from home while working helped him to pay his way through school.
As a student, he flourished in the practical nature of MSOE’s curriculum, especially during his senior design project. “My team created an encryption device for digital communication using a mathematical formula from chaos theory to make it extremely difficult to decipher. We were so protective of the design that, in our documentation, we stamped ‘TOP SECRET’ over the algorithm rather than disclose it to our advisor—though we eventually had to share it to graduate!”
The team, calling their proposed business Cryptobyte, Inc., even made T-shirts and painted MSOE’s beloved spirit rock with their logo. Not only did they complete the project early, it was also a success, and today the original device sits in Keith’s garage. Upon graduating from MSOE and starting at Texas Instruments, he was joined by one of his senior design project teammates.
Keith’s first role after graduating from MSOE was a design engineer working on significant projects like the FLIR systems for the M1 Abrams battle tank. In 1998, he joined Intel as a chip product manager and went on to shape the semiconductor industry through leadership roles at top global companies, most recently serving as Senior Vice President at Qualcomm. “As I transitioned from design engineering to product and technology leadership roles, I was fortunate to contribute to products that have had a massive impact on everyday life—desktop and laptop computers, smartphones, AR/VR headsets, and many more,” Keith said.
Keith also went on to earn his master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 1997, as well as his MBA from Cornell in 1998. While in graduate school, he published a mathematics book called “Understanding Mathematics: From Counting to Calculus”, which has since sold about 40,000 copies.
Today, Keith is the CEO of MemryX, a fabless semiconductor company founded in 2019 that specializes in developing artificial intelligence processors for edge devices. When Keith joined the company in 2021, it was still getting off the ground. It has since grown and today maintains a large and diverse market across the globe with offices in Taiwan, Saudi Arabia and India.
Keith has had the opportunity to work with many leaders and organizations from around the world throughout his career. But he has come to believe that true success isn’t just about innovation; it’s about people. “My proudest moments are in mentoring and developing people—helping others succeed not only as employees but as family members, friends and contributors to their communities,” he said.
A philosophy rooted in a foundation made up of a few lessons he learned at MSOE: collaborative teamwork, work ethic and communication. “Leadership is built on trust. Striving to be honest, transparent and genuinely caring toward team members has been critical throughout my career.”
This commitment is why Keith is being inducted into MSOE’s Wall of Distinction. And for him, it’s another reason to continue his mission. “Being inducted is an honor I never expected. More importantly, it gives me a greater opportunity to mentor and inspire others. For that, I’m deeply grateful.”