Emily Olson serves as a Director of Grants and Federal Affairs in the Higher Education Practice at McAllister & Quinn. She has spent over two decades on college campuses conducting research, teaching, and gaining professional experience in nonprofit fundraising, alumni relations, and project management. She continues to draw on this background as she works with higher education clients at McAllister & Quinn to create federal, state, and foundation grant strategies that closely align with their institution’s priorities and goals.
In her role at McAllister & Quinn, Emily has worked with a wide range of IHEs from across the U.S., including public and private universities, community colleges, and institutions with religious affiliations. These partnerships have led to millions of dollars in external funding for clients, from various federal agencies and private foundations, enhancing institutional support and capacity for scholarships, student services, academic programming, equipment, workforce training, and career preparation.
Before joining McAllister & Quinn, Emily worked for over a decade at the Morehead-Cain Foundation, the nation’s first merit scholarship program. During her time at the Foundation, she developed, managed, and expanded innovative programming initiatives and was a key member of the fundraising team that helped the organization achieve a $75M capital campaign goal. Prior to Morehead-Cain, Emily earned a PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with funding from a competitive fellowship awarded by the U.S. Department of Education.
In addition to a Ph.D. in Art History, Emily holds a B.A. from the University of Arizona and an M.A. from Washington University in Saint Louis. She has also completed certificates in nonprofit management from Duke University and in business from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Emily is originally from a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, and currently lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina..