John Olson, PhD, who joined the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas in 2005 in the Operations and Supply Chain Department, has been named associate dean of academic programs and innovation. He has always had a growth mindset since joining the faculty.
Since 2005, he has held several leadership roles and has been instrumental in the development of many programs both in the college and across the university. Olson served as the department chair from 2008-15 of the newly formed Operations and Supply Chain Management Department. During his tenure as department chair, the major grew in both in the number of faculty and declared majors.
After he left his role as a department chair, Olson led a faculty group in developing both the Business Analytics certificate and then the MS in Business Analytics. Since 2016, he has served in a faculty leadership role in those programs. In 2018, he led a multi-department effort across the university to develop the business analytics minor.
In the 2022-23 academic year, he has led the creation of another new Graduate Certificate in Supply Chain Management with a master’s degree in the process. In addition to traditional academic programs, he has worked with executive education to develop and deliver many programs.
During his academic career, Olson has published over 30 peer-reviewed articles and a leading textbook in healthcare operations management. He has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota, an MBA from St. Cloud State University, and a doctorate from University of Nebraska-Lincoln.