The Honorable Dr. Kathie L. Olsen is a stalwart supporter of ARCS MWC! So much so, in fact, that she became a member twice–first in 1995 and then again in 2007–sponsored by Mary Snitch both times! We celebrate and applaud Kathie’s continued service to ARCS MWC over 30 years. She has contributed greatly to MWC’s success and is always glad to provide assistance.

Kathie’s deep scientific knowledge underpinned her substantial achievements in policy when she worked in Senator Conrad Burns’ office as a Brookings Institute Fellow from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 1995. Senator Burns oversaw National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) and NSF appropriations and chaired the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Kathie and Mary (Lockheed Martin) helped facilitate the Lockheed Martin X-33 operations at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. Kathie says Mary was incredibly committed to ARCS MWC and would often glowingly speak about it.

Kathie served over 20 years in the federal government in scientific leadership positions such as Deputy Director (DD) and Chief Operating Officer of NSF; as Associate Director and DD for Science of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in the Executive Office of the President; and as Chief Scientist for NASA. For Senate confirmation for her position with OSTP, Kathie had to step off all her boards but they made an exception for ARCS! She left ARCS around 2001 because she was traveling frequently and didn’t have time to commit to the organization.

Kathie stayed connected to ARCS during the years when she wasn’t a member by serving on the ARCS Science and Engineering Advisory Council. When Kathie retired from NSF in 2007, Mary renominated her as a member of ARCS MWC and also added her to the National Board slate. Kathie was very active with ARCS MWC. She also worked closely with Jeanne Berdik (ARCS National President during 2011-13) and her team on developing the agreement with Roche Pharmaceuticals benefitting ARCS Scholars in several chapters, including MWC (for our readers: our 2024 SAR keynote speaker—Dr. Kunal Parikh—was the MWC Roche Scholar in 2014).

Although proud of all her work with MWC and National, Kathie is particularly pleased that ARCS MWC has asked her to be a continuing member of its annual Eagle Award nominating committee. She admires the quality and breadth of knowledge of the recipients of the MWC Eagle Awards and thinks it is a wonderful opportunity to recognize trailblazers in science and engineering who have had a global societal impact and are committed to ARCS!

When asked what she would say to the chapter’s members, especially the new members, Kathie emphasized that the ARCS mission is still critical for our nation’s competitiveness, particularly given the current challenges facing our federal research agencies and academic institutions. She says that our dedication to our scholars will transform their lives and ours. While the funds that we raise and donate to our university partners make a difference now in the ARCS Scholars’ lives, their future innovations and technical leadership will ultimately bolster all aspects of life in the United States, including economic development, health, security, and prosperity.