Alumni Award

The government and private sector often seem like polar opposites. But by bringing the best features of the private sector to public institutions, Babak J. Armajani '68 is helping make government more efficient, creative, and responsive.

A political science major at Grinnell, Armajani was an activist for a variety of campus causes. He went on to earn an M.P.A. degree in public affairs from Princeton.

Early in his career, Armajani founded an internship program called Twin City Urban Corps. The program connected students and city government to help foster change, and it became a model for similar programs across the nation. In 1991, he became CEO of Public Strategies Group, an organization dedicated to improving government services.

During the past 17 years, PSG has taken on major challenges. The organization helped run Minneapolis Public Schools for four years. It earned rave reviews for stabilizing finances and restoring trust among teachers. More recently, the organization took on an ambitious project to reorganize Iowa's government. By redesigning programs and reducing paperwork, PSG saved the state millions of dollars.

In addition to his innovative work, Armajani has brought his game-changing ideas to others. He is the co-author of Breaking Through Bureaucracy and he has taught courses at several universities. He brought his expertise back to Grinnell in fall 2007 when he taught the short course Servant Leadership: Leading Without Authority, sponsored by the Wilson Program in Enterprise and Leadership.

For his unwavering dedication to building better government, Grinnell is pleased to recognize Babak J. Armajani '68.