Nancy J. Olson

OLSON Nancy J. Olson passed away on Friday, September 25, 2009. Nancy had been serving as International Protocol Officer for the City of Jacksonville Florida, but began her long international service career during the Vietnam War - when she worked for the State Department, - stationed in both Saigon and DaNang. During one of her leaves from Vietnam - Nancy had her first taste of Washington DC political life when she took tea at President Nixon's White House in honor of her work with the Pakistan Relief Committee. After her Vietnam tour ended - Nancy next worked for the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok. Although Nancy enjoyed Thailand - her post there lacked the excitement she'd experienced in Vietnam - so when she heard about a position in Africa - she snapped at the opportunity to move there to teach English. Back then, she was the only American living in the town of Kalemie (in what is now the D.R. of Congo), but after her pet poodles had one too many battles with venomous snakes - Nancy left Africa to pursue her earlier sparked interest in Washington D.C. politics. Nancy first worked as a lobbyist for an international company that sent her to France to earn a mini-masters degree in business administration co-sponsored by Stanford. Nancy was one of the founders of Women in Government Relations, Inc. (WGR) - now a 750 member non-profit, non- partisan association committed to the advancement of women at all career levels of government relations. Nancy later worked for the Commerce Department during both the Reagan and Bush administrations - serving first as the Director of Industrial Liaison for the International Trade Administration - and then later as the Deputy Director of the Office of Business Liaison. After leaving her political appointment, Nancy became the Director of Operations for the Southern Europe USO center, where she based in Rome. While there, she met with Pope John Paul II and developed a life-long love for everything Italian. After serving in the same capacity for the USO's Caribbean center in Puerto Rico - Nancy worked for the International Republican Institute (IRI), an NGO for the advancement of worldwide democracy. While in that position, she served in Romania - and later published a book called - 'Romania for Business Travelers'. In 1993, she went to work for the Jacksonville mayor's International Development Commission, where, among other things, she was assigned supervision of the Jacksonville Sister Cities program. Nancy was the founding President of Northeast Florida Women in International Trade as well as a founding member of Protocol and Diplomacy International. Nancy's work for the city took her to China, South Africa, Chile, Argentina and back to France. With two trips to her families Swedish homeland in - Nancy had lived or traveled in over 23 countries in lifetime. She was fluent in French and competent in Italian. Nancy shared her culinary talents with friends at her legendary dinner parties, and working in her lavish garden was her refuge. Nancy was a devotee of Opera and had recently become an accomplished ballroom dancer. Nancy is survived by her dear friend Ron Castiglia of New York, sister Lynne Olson of Lansing, Michigan, brother Richard Olson of Olivet, Michigan, and countless other relatives including Florida locals - cousin Pauli Kirby of Ponte Vedra and nephew Corey Berry of St. Johns. She is preceded in death by her parents Roy and Lorraine Olson and beloved sister Judy. A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, September 29th, in the First Presbyterian Church, 118 E. Monroe Street, Downtown Jacksonville. In lieu of flowers or other monetary gifts of any sort, the family requests that donations be made to a fund to establish an international Scholarship in Nancy's name at the University of North Florida. Checks should be made payable to UNF Foundation/ Nancy Olson Scholarship and sent to University of North Florida Foundation, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, Florida 32224. Please visit our online Tribute at www.quinn-shalz.com . Services under the direction and care of: Please Sign the Guestbook @ Jacksonville.com