Jess Olson


Jess Olson is an American politician and a Republican Representative of the South Dakota House of Representatives representing District 34 since January 2019.

Early life and education

Jess Olson was born in Rapid City, South Dakota. She attended Dartmouth College where she received her B.A. in English Literature. She then completed her master's degree in Healthcare Administration at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 2011.

Healthcare career

Olson graduated from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 2011. She served as Executive Director for Wellfully, a non-profit behavioral healthcare organization serving at-risk youth from 2012 to 2018. In 2019, she launched a home health company, Stay Graceful, Inc.

Political career

In the four-way November 6, 2018 General election, Olson took the first seat with 5,853 votes and Representative Diedrich took the second seat ahead of Democratic candidates George Nelson and Brian Davis.