Gary Olsen is widely respected as one of the most knowledgeable alumni engagement professionals in the country. His career in higher education spans more than 27 years. He served for 20 years as associate vice president for alumni engagement at Villanova University. Following this, he served for five years as vice president for university advancement at the University of Scranton. He now provides consulting services to numerous educational institutions in the United States and beyond. His areas of expertise include alumni strategic planning, alumni board training, alumni engagement metrics, program review and assessment, executive leadership coaching, and interim executive leadership services.
A recognized leader in the advancement profession, Gary has served on the CASE Board of Trustees and has chaired the CASE Commission on Alumni Relations. Gary chaired the CASE Alumni Relations Metrics Task Force, which established a comprehensive alumni engagement metrics model which serves more than 3,500 CASE institutional members worldwide.
As a consultant, Gary has served public and private institutions, liberal arts colleges, independent schools, and faith-based institutions. His consultant client list includes George Washington University, the Rutgers University Foundation, Georgetown University, Babson College, Tufts University, Queensland University of Technology, and Seton Hall University.
Gary earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Villanova University.
