Alice Armstrong

A pioneer in organizational development and women’s rights, Dr. Alice Armstrong has been an inspiration to thousands of women in the state of Oregon. She founded one of the first women’s professional organizations in Oregon and ended her career researching a book on gender and organizational power. Her life’s work spans the post-World War II period, from problems women face in entering the paid workforce, to barriers they face in the boardroom. As a teacher, researcher, and consultant, Alice helped men and women learn from each other and fostered a more vibrant organizational culture.

Alice had a life-long commitment to bringing the voices of women into the workforce. In describing her own work, Dr. Armstrong lists two basic questions that have concerned her: “Why?” and “Why not?” The first question concerns how organizational structures take particular forms and the second concerns barriers to change. Armstrong is blunt in her assessment of men who are not able to accept women in leadership roles in the workplace: “If they cannot get over it, they should not be in management.” Based on her own research on differences between men and women’s in motivations for power, achievement, and affiliation, she concludes that there are no basic differences. The real differences, Armstrong argues, are in the opportunities for advancement available to men and women in the workforce.

Born in Chicago in 1922, as a child Alice was interested in the commonalities that cut across various differences among people. Having grown up in an ethnically diverse neighborhood, Alice came in contact with many European immigrants. Her father was a patent attorney who helped emigrating scientists get their work patented. Her mother was a registered nurse and a “very nurturing person.” Alice recalls that her mother “depended on me to manage things at home.” Alice helped her mother raise her sister and two brothers, including a brother who had rheumatic fever as a child. “I think I was born to be in charge,” Alice commented with her characteristic wry humor. Her Aunt Alice, a biomedical research scientist, shaped and nurtured her early identity. She consistently encouraged the young Alice to pursue her own dreams—even as a married woman.

The second World War shattered the dreams of many, even as it opened up new possibilities for women who entered jobs formerly held exclusively by men. Women were mobilized to maintain the home front under the banner of “We can do it!” The demands of the war effort and Alice’s take-charge nature converged to propel her into what would become her lifelong passion: to create organizations where women could have a real voice.

Alice met her husband, Ed Armstrong, at the University of Chicago and they married in 1944, in spite of the concerns of his parents over the union. “Alice was not the traditional woman my parents wanted me to marry,” Ed recalls. “Alice was not a girly girl.” Ed left on D-day for the War—on June 6, 1944—to fly as a bomber pilot in the Ninth Air Force in Europe. Before he left, Alice told Ed that she foresaw the birth of four sons and a daughter in their future together—a prophecy that ultimately did come true. During his absence, Alice finished her bachelor’s degree at the University of Arizona.

Alice and Ed moved to Oregon in 1948, where Ed served as Chief of Staff for Oregon governors Douglas McKay, Paul Patterson, and Elmo Smith. During the early years of raising a family, Alice worked as a substitute teacher. In the 1960s, Alice accepted a teaching position at Grant High School in Portland, where she taught social studies for twelve years. Passionate about education, Alice went on to complete her master’s in education at the University of Oregon and her PhD in organizational psychology in 1978 from the Fielding Institute in Santa Barbara, California. Her doctoral dissertation developed out of her growing interest in the issue of women and leadership. Although her dissertation reflects her focus on research, it also points to her commitment to the practical application of scholarly knowledge. The dissertation is titled, “The relationship among need for power, sex of subject, career choice, and the social and psychological barriers that limit leadership opportunities for women.” Alice completed her doctoral work while raising their daughter, Jayme, and four sons, Scott, Rex, Todd, and Craig.

In addition to her doctoral program and raising their five children, Alice established the Institute of Managerial and Professional Woman (IMPW) with Ellen Campbell in 1977. The IMPW served as a vital incubator for women who aspired to leadership roles in private and public organizations. Alice was the visionary behind the Institute and she inspired other women to join her in creating materials, workshops, and classes to assist women in realizing their potential for leadership. In 1977 Alice organized an unprecedented conference for women in business at Portland State University. Twelve hundred women attended this historic event that became the launching pad for the Institute. At the conference, participants talked about the barriers they faced as women and generated strategies for breaking down those barriers. Co-founder Ellen Campbell describes the passion of those early years: “The only reason it happened was that we were on fire…absolutely on fire.” Ellen laughs as she continues to describe her early discovery of a sense of sisterhood. “Alice had these altar calls and we’d come forward and she’d save us…and before long, for three nights a week we would have seminars going.”

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Alice completed her doctoral degree on power motivation. In addition, Alice taught courses through the School of Business at Portland State University and worked as an organizational consultant. In the 1990s, she consulted with the International Development Bank in Istanbul, Turkey. In describing this work, Alice states that one of her goals was to convince upper management of the important contributions women make as leaders. In early human history, Alice contends, women were respected as leaders:

This began with the earliest wise women who started us down this long road toward civilization. In every turn in the road women have had a significant role. The intellectual achievements of the modern world are no exception. When even a few women enter, they make a big difference.

Former Senator Mark Hatfield recalls that Alice Armstrong was “always a person who knew herself. She was and is a women of great confidence and vision.” He remembers visiting the Armstrong home on many occasions as a young man. One particular evening was the night before the birth of her third child. Senator Hatfield describes the scene after dinner, with a very pregnant Alice bringing out a stepladder shortly following the meal. “She got up on that stepladder to paint the living room dark brown,” he recalls with amusement and wonder. “The next day, I found out that she was in the early stages of labor—but she was determined to get that room painted before the baby came.” 

Ellen Campbell notes Alice Armstrong’s tendency to speak her mind. At one point in their work together, Ellen suggested pointedly “you can get more bees with honey than vinegar.” Alice retorted, “What do I want with a bunch of bees?”

In 1999, over two hundred people came together at Portland State University to pay respect to Alice for the impact she had on their lives. Friends, family, and colleagues spoke eloquently of her tireless devotion to the field of women and leadership. Many of those present knew each other through classes taught by Alice in the School of Business and through the broad network she created through the IMPW.

Sadly, Alice was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 1998. Although she remained intellectually sharp, Alice was no longer able to work on her book, which was the culmination of several decades of research on sex differences and power. Titled The Great Brain Robbery: The Saga of the Gender Wars, the manuscript came to a halt following her diagnosis. Yet in 2002, business and economic consultant Peggidy Coffman Yates became co-author, assuming responsibility for completing the manuscript and submitting it for publication. In finishing this important work, Yates ensures that the public will not be robbed of the opportunity to learn about one of the brainy, bold, and beautiful women of Oregon: Dr. Alice Armstrong.

Written by Al Jubitz

Al Jubitz chose to honor Dr. Armstrong on the Walk of the Heroines because she helped him through a critical transition in his company during the mid 1980s. “When we were restructuring, I hired Alice as a consultant and she really taught me how to be a CEO,” Jubitz explains. “She taught me to listen to people, to set clear roles and responsibilities, and to approach management from a different perspective. I am forever grateful for Alice Armstrong.”