Kerstyn Olson

Kerstyn Olson is the Chief of Staff at the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California, where she oversees the day-to-day operations, programs, and staff of the Institute. 

Prior to joining the Unruh Institute, Kerstyn worked at USC Spectrum, USC's Cultural Arts & Events department, for eight years. The hundreds of events she programmed and produced ranged from classical music to spoken word performance pieces, to an annual jazz festival. She was responsible for an annual season of the finest in arts and lecture programs by nationally and internationally known attractions. She also programmed and produced the President's Distinguished Artist & Lecture Series, featuring presentations at USC by former dignitaries, world leaders and heads of state.

Kerstyn holds a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Music Industry from the USC Thornton School of Music and a Master of Arts degree in Communication Management with an emphasis in Communication Law and Policy from the USC Annenberg School for Communication.