Who is Steve Olson?

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Steve has lived in Larimer County for 27 years. He is happily married with three children, thirteen grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters. 

Steve enjoys skiing, biking, hiking 14ers, reading, and loves a good accounting pun.

From serving in the Navy to serving Loveland as a City Councilor, being a public servant has been a core part of Steve's life. Serving as Larimer County Treasurer would just be a continuation of his life-long dedication to giving back to taxpayers.

Steve is a Vietnam veteran who served both as an enlisted corpsman with the Marines and as an officer in the Navy. 

In addition to his exemplary service in the military, Steve has a rich history of volunteer work, including a decade with the Red Cross, six years on the Loveland Planning Commission, and one year at Loveland's CFAC (Citizens Financial Advisory Commission). 

Steve has gone to great lengths to protect and serve—even in the most unbelievable ways at times. One such time was while he was working at a Navy hospital in Portsmouth, VA discharging patients. 

While busy at work one day, he heard a huge commotion and poked his head out into the hallway, only to witness a man sprinting away at full speed. Later, he heard that the man had robbed a bank across the street by holding a knife to the bank teller's throat. 

In two weeks’ time, the bank robber returned to the Navy hospital. Steve, unwilling to let a violent thief freely roam the halls of his workplace, chased him through the hospital, and down the road until the robber ran into the parking lot of a civilian hospital and hid. 

Not one to give up, Steve bent down to see if he could spot the thief's feet. Sure enough, he was right next to the car where the once-again-knife-wielding criminal was hiding. As the assailant slid out from under the car, Steve took control and restrained him until the police came. 

If he's willing to protect a random bank's money, you know Steve's willing to protect your taxpayer dollars. 

For 15 years, Steve worked in finance for the Navy where he earned his CPA license. Six of those years were spent managing two hospital budgets. Then, Washington, D.C. called and Steve was tasked with managing a budget of $14 billion.

After his Navy service, Steve worked as a licensed certified public accountant and a partner in the nation’s largest Chief Financial Officer organization, B2B CFO, for 10 years where he provided counsel to private sector businesses grossing up to $150 million a year. 

Most recently, Steve served on the Loveland City Council providing policy and direction for the city's $355.7 million budget, and was chosen as the council's liaison to CFAC. 

Steve was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal—the second-highest award from the Department of Defense—for his role in consolidating the expenses for all military hospitals across all branches. 

As the very first Tricare Director in history, he earned the Legion of Merit award—the sixth highest decoration in the U.S. Military Order of Precedence.

B.S. Health Care Administration from George Washington University

M.S. Financial Management from the Naval Postgraduate School