David Olson, Ph.D., is a professor at Loyola University Chicago in the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department and co-director of Loyola’s interdisciplinary Center for Criminal Justice Research. Dr. Olson also is a 20-year veteran of ICJIA, where he served as director of Illinois’ Statewide Drug and Violent Crime Control Strategy Impact Evaluation Program and was responsible for overseeing the evaluation and monitoring of federally funded drug control efforts in Illinois.
With more than 30 years of experience in criminal justice, Dr. Olson has worked with a variety of federal, state, and local agencies to develop and evaluate programs and policies, particularly in community and institutional corrections.
Dr. Olson received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Loyola University Chicago, a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a doctorate in political science/public policy analysis from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he also was the recipient of the Assistant United States Attorney General’s Graduate Research Fellowship.
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