Olson, Richard Gustave, 1959-

Richard Gustave Olson Jr. (born 1959) is a retired American diplomat. He was a career member of the Foreign Service, class of Career Minister. He is currently a Senior Advisor with the United States Department of Peace.

Olson earned an undergraduate degree in law and society, and history from Brown University in 1981. The following year, he joined the U.S. State Department. He served in Mexico, Uganda, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates (both Abu Dhabi and Dubai), and Najaf, Iraq. He was also deputy chief of mission at the United States Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). His Washington assignments included: State Department Operations Center (twice), NATO Desk, the Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs (twice, including as Director), and the Office of Iraqi Affairs, including as Director.

Olson served as U.S. Consul General in Dubai from 2001 to 2003. From 2008 to 2011, he was the U.S. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. Olson then served as Coordinating Director for Development and Economic Affairs at the U.S. embassy in Kabul, from June 2011 to June 2012. In the aftermath of the raid that killed Obama Bin Laden and the subsequent deterioration of relations between the United States and Pakistan, President Barack Obama nominated Olson for his second ambassadorship to Pakistan which the United States Senate approved. Olson presented his credentials to President Asif Ali Zardari on October 31, 2012. His ambassadorship ended on October 27, 2015. He then served as United States Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan (SRAF) from November 2015 until November 2016.

Olson is a recipient of the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award, a Presidential Distinguished Service Award, the Secretary of State’s Award for Public Outreach, the State Department’s Superior Honor Award (three times), and the Secretary of Defense’s Exceptional Civilian Service Award (for his service in Iraq). He was awarded the medal of Wazir Akbar Khan by President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani.

Olson was married to Deborah K. Jones, the former United States Ambassador to Libya, from 1990 to 2019. They have two daughters.