Keith Olson

Chief Science Officer

Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA)

Things are going to happen...but how you react to what’s happening is what’s most important.

About Keith

Grew up on Long Island, New York; says at the time, the possibility of someday living in Hawaii didn’t even cross his mind.
He knew he wanted to go to the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
But first, he went to Suffolk County Community College to save money; says community college taught him tons of life skills.
When he got to the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, he entered the paper science and engineering program.
After graduating, he moved to California and worked at a paper mill for several months, but decided it wasn’t for him.
He had many of the skill sets of a chemical engineer, so he ended up working for Chevron and the Berkeley Lab.
He and his wife decided to move to Hawaii; he couldn’t find a job so he became a forest ranger and built up his soft skills.
Now works at NELHA, an 870-acre ocean and science technology park; he also teaches yoga on the side!