Matthew J. Olovson, J.D., appointed as director of equity and compliance

May 1, 2022

On April 4, Matthew J. Olovson, J.D., joined the Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion as the director of equity and compliance. In this critical role in the office and at Michigan State University, Olovson will work to ensure adherence to equal opportunity laws and related university programs and policies. He will be responsible for designing and administering strategic plans to attain diversity goals, equity in practice and markers of inclusive excellence. 

For more than two decades, Olovson has assisted organizations transform their operations and practices to enhance equity, leverage diversity and build inclusive communities. Prior to appointment with MSU, Olovson served as the executive director of equal opportunity and access for the University of Cincinnati; as director of equal opportunity and staff attorney for Ferris State University; assistant director of institutional equity for the University of Notre Dame; and as assistant director of civil rights and institutional equity for Central Michigan University.

Olovson has regularly served as an adjunct professor, most recently with Alma College and Rochester University. His prior professional experience also includes law clerking for Legal Services of South Central Michigan, Prison Legal Services Michigan, the Department of Veterans Affairs and serving as youth counselor in community mental health services.  

As counsel and consultant, Olovson has regularly advised and provided professional development programming to corporations, community service entities and governmental bodies on strategies for navigating cultural transformation, compliance and community building. His expertise in the law and business administration have garnered him success representing clients in varying judicial, administrative, governmental and other legal proceedings.

Over the course of his career, he has been an invited keynote speaker and workshop presenter, written the curriculum for a highly acclaimed EEO/AA practitioner certificate program and actively volunteered with several state and national organizations dedicated to community development and the promotion of social justice.

As a zealous advocate for inclusive organizational practice, culturally competent education and justice within and for our communitie, Olovson will be instrumental to fulfill MSU's commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion.