Charles Durham

The Charles Durham Achievement Award was established to recognize outstanding individuals who have contributed significantly to the profession through their leadership role in ACEC/N, professional societies, and community service organizations. The nominees shall be perceived by the profession and in their communities as leaders and demonstrate, through their civic involvement, how the quality of life in their communities has been enhanced.

ACEC Nebraska
2020 Charles Durham Achievement Award

The ACEC Board of Directors is honored to announce that the recipient of the Charles Durham Achievement Award this year is John S. Olsson, Executive Vice President of Olsson Inc.

As EVP for consulting services, Olsson works with teams throughout the firm to identity and prioritize large public sector clients and projects, and works with Olsson’s practice leaders to enhance the firm’s standing at the municipal and state level.

Olsson has served in several leadership roles since he joined the firm in 1989. He was named leader of the Civil Municipal team in 2001, became the firm’s Lincoln office leader in 2007 and two years later was selected to serve on the first firmwide operations team.

Olsson exemplifies the firm’s community focused values through his involvement in various nonprofit and civic organizations. He served as president for the Nebraska Society of Professional Engineers and was a past director for ACEC Nebraska.

In 2015, Olsson helped establish the Olsson Foundation, a 501(c)(3) private foundation that supports education, communities and the environment.

John graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and earned a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

He is the son of the firm’s founder, John E. Olsson.