Retired President and Chief Executive Officer, Battelle Memorial Institute, a worldwide technology organization, working for government and industry. Dr. Olesen earned his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering at the University of Washington. In 1963 Dr. Olesen joined Boeing Aircraft Company as a Research Engineer and assisted in developing and testing closed life-support systems for long-term space missions. He joined Battelle Memorial Institute, Northwest Labs, in Richland, Washington in 1967 and served in a series of management positions. Dr. Olesen was named Vice President and Director of the Northwest Division in 1979. In 1984 he became Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio. In 1987 he was elected President and Chief Executive Officer and in October 2001 he retired.