Dwight Ink – retired federal administrator, Iowa State University alumnus, and longtime supporter of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics – was honored May 19 by the National Academy of Public Administration for his career of exemplary public service with the naming of the Dwight Ink Fellows’ Hall. The honor was announced at a naming ceremony at the academy’s headquarters in Washington, DC, by Dan G. Blair, president and CEO of the NAPA.
“The academy is proud to celebrate and honor the long and distinguished career of Dwight Ink,” Blair said. “Dwight’s work on behalf of the American people stands as an example of the substantial contributions career executive leaders can make in service to the American people. We are proud to honor these unsung heroes in honoring Dwight and hope that Dwight’s example of commitment to public service inspires a new generation of government leaders.”
Ink, a 1947 graduate of Iowa State, held major leadership roles in a variety of federal agencies for more than 40 years under the administrations of seven U.S. presidents, from Dwight Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan. His public service includes leadership roles at the Office of Management and Budget, General Services Administration, Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Agency for International Development, Atomic Energy Commission and the Community Services Administration. He was a principal founder of several agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency.
“I am overwhelmed by this recognition,” Ink said. “It has been a privilege to devote a career to public service. Contrary to the negative image of a government ‘bureaucrat,’ I have found work in government at all levels to be the most challenging, exciting and fulfilling of any field I can imagine. Our academy fellows showcase the thousands of public service leaders who provide the highest level of competence and dedication in serving our nation. When given the opportunity, they get things done.”
Ink and his wife, Dona Wolf, are longtime supporters of the Political Science Alumni Legacy of Heroines Scholarship, coordinated through the Catt Center. Each year, the scholarship provides an award to an Iowa State undergraduate student majoring in political science.
Chartered by Congress to provide non-partisan expert advice, the National Academy of Public Administration is an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan organization established in 1967 to assist government leaders in building more effective, efficient, accountable and transparent organizations.