Michael F. Konzen receives Distinguished Alumni Award

Michael F. Konzen, MArch ’86, has been named among this year’s Founders Day Distinguished Alumni Awardees. He is principal and chair at PGAV Destinations, a multidisciplinary planning and design firm with offices in St. Louis and Kansas City providing services in destinations, architecture, and planning. He is a member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards and a licensed architect in 30 states.

Since beginning his career at PGAV in 1986, Konzen has followed his passion for travel experiences through consulting services related to tourism, attraction development, master planning, exhibit design, and construction for a wide range of projects around the world. His clients have included UNESCO World Heritage sites, major museums, national parks, theme parks, and resorts. Today, PGAV Destinations is the largest independent creator of attractions and destinations in the industry, with projects on five continents.

Konzen serves on the Sam Fox School’s National Council and chaired the planning committee for the school’s 2022-32 strategic plan, Shaping the Future. He received the school’s Award for Distinction in 2018 and is a sponsor of the school’s Alberti Program: Architecture for Young People and partner in its CityStudioSTL Fellowship program. He has been instrumental in providing scholarship support through the Konzen Family Scholarship, created with Ann Konzen and the PGAV Destinations Scholarship, created in memory of Steve Zeilstra and Jim Wible.

WashU Founders Day is an opportunity to reflect upon the university’s many milestones and accomplishments — and the people who helped make them possible. Celebrated since the university’s centennial in 1953, this special event has honored WashU’s distinguished alumni, outstanding faculty, and most treasured friends.