Meet Katie

A native of Pleasant Grove, Utah, Katie Pitts Olson learned about hard work and public service early on. Her father was a firefighter for Provo City for 21 years. He often worked two to three jobs to make ends meet on a public servant salary. Katie’s seen firsthand the mental and physical toll of being a first responder.

Katie graduated from Brigham Young University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in humanities and editing. She married Jacob Olson in 2013 and achieved the rank of mom the following year. In 2016, ten days before the birth of their second daughter, Jacob left his job due to a debilitating mental health condition. Faced with supporting her family, Katie returned to school and work after having been a stay-at-home mom for two years.

Katie completed her master’s in public administration in 2019, with a dual emphasis in finance and program evaluation, also from BYU. Her internship brought her to the sweet, sweet City of South Jordan. That’s when she committed to life as a public servant in local government. Katie began working full-time for the City of South Jordan in the Strategic Services division, and Jacob became a stay-at-home dad. The Olson family moved to Daybreak soon after with their family bike and inflatable kayak in tow. In 2021, they welcomed their third daughter along with two hundred strawberry plants, all of which are now tucked in their respective beds on their .08-acre lot. 

Experience

Professionally, Katie focuses on continuous improvement and program evaluation. Her role with the City of South Jordan as Associate Director of Strategy and Budget includes aligning the budget with City priorities and values. She also checks programs for potential improvements and efficiency gains. She developed policies for the City’s Workforce Housing and Down Payment assistance programs. During her time administering the City’s Community Development Block Grant program, she advocated housing and services for low- and moderate-income residents. She loves counting things; whether it’s making surveys, coding in R, or dashboarding city data, she believes in the power of measurement to make effective decisions.