Profile for Michaella Olson

Michaella Olson Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Teaching Assistant Professor

Management

Specialty area(s)

Leadership, Strategic Management, Organizational Behavior, International Management, Supply Chain Management, Global Logistics & Operations Management

Brief biography

Dr. Michaella “Kel” Olson is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Management, where she teaches courses in leadership, organizational behavior, and strategic management. She brings over a decade of global leadership experience from her career as a U.S. Air Force officer and Department of Defense civilian, specializing in logistics, contracting, and humanitarian operations across more than 20 countries. Her work bridges strategy, leadership, and organizational behavior, with a focus on developing practical, evidence-based decision-making skills in future leaders.

Dr. Olson is passionate about supporting students on their educational journey and professional development. Off campus, she enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, and hiking trails in La Crosse.

Current courses at UWL

MGT 449: Applied Business Strategy

MGT 308: Organizational Behavior

Education

Ed.D.: Counselor Education and Supervision, Viterbo University, 2022

M.S.: National Strategy and Resource Management, Supply Chain Management, National Defense University, 2017

M.A.: Management and Leadership, Webster University, 2007

B.A.: International and Area Studies, University of Oklahoma, 2005, Certificates from Fudan University, Peking University, Xi’an International Studies University and Yunnan Normal University, People's Republic of China, 2004

Career

Teaching history

At UW-La Crosse, Dr. Olson has taught the following courses:

MGT 449: Applied Business Strategy

MGT 412: Leadership / Team Development

MGT 393: Production and Operations Management

MGT 360: International Management

MGT 308: Organizational Behavior

PSY 403: Advanced Psychopathology

PSY 376: Industrial and Organizational Psychology

Prior to coming to UW-La Crosse, she was an adjunct instructor for COUN 729: Consultation, Organizational Change, Program Evaluation and a guest lecturer for the M.S. counseling program at Viterbo University.