Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam has announced that Kelsey Olson has been named Assistant Secretary of Agriculture at the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Olson began serving in the new role this past Monday, July 1.
Olson will assist in lesading the agency by serving as a liaison between the agency and industry stakeholder, assisting the Secretary with attendance and participation to meeting / event invitations, participating in regulatory and legislative police deliberations, and coordinating special projects and initiatives of KDA.
Olson has been Syngenta in Junction City since 2010, specializing in portfolio management, trend analysis, investing and sales within the agriculture industry. She also worked in the office of U.S. Congressman Jerry Moran as a district agricultural representative.
Olson grew up in Norton, Kansas, then attended Kansas State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in interntational agribusiness and a master’s degree in agricultural economics. She resides in Manhattan with her husband, Casey, and their two children.