Please Welcome New Stassen Chair

The Harold E. Stassen World Peace Chair is a joint faculty position between the Department of Political Science and the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Tricia Olsen as our new Stassen Chair. Olsen is an associate professor and associate dean at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, with a joint appointment at the Korbel School of International Studies. 

She studies and teaches about public policy and the political economy of human rights and development, with a focus on Latin America. She has received support from various organizations for her research, including the National Science Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, USAID, and Fulbright-Hays. Dr. Olsen earned a BA in Latin American Studies from Carleton College, and a master’s and PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Professor Christina Ewig, affiliate of the department, served on the search committee and says, “Professor Tricia Olsen brings to the Humphrey School an extraordinary research record in the field of global human rights combined with a track record of policy impact. Her research on corporate human rights abuses tackles one of the most pressing human rights issues in our world today. Perhaps most importantly, Professor Olsen brings her expertise to contemporary policy debates. Her membership in the expert working group related to the U.S. government’s National Action Plan for Responsible Business and her ongoing collaborations with the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights Conduct are just two recent examples.”