2025 Mentor of the Year – Jennifer Olson, MBA
Join us in congratulating our newest Mentor of the Year, Jennifer Olson!
Jennifer M. Olson is a transformational healthcare executive, award-winning strategist and respected board leader with over two decades experience driving enterprise-level impact in complex health systems and early and mid-stage companies.
Jennifer is the CEO-founder of BlueInnovo Advisors, a strategic advisory firm reshaping healthcare by bridging operational excellence with bold, future-focused strategy and innovation. Her primary passion is within the women’s and children’s spaces, but her objective is to improve healthcare with curiosity, courage and transformation in the workplace.
A former Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at Children’s Minnesota, Jennifer played a pivotal role in leading the $1.1B pediatric system vital operations. The foundation of Jennifer’s career was built on innovation and consultation, beginning with her work as a Management Engineer at the University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics, and much more deeply at Deloitte Consulting in the Healthcare and Strategy Practice.
Jennifer’s influence extends beyond the C-suite. She’s served on national boards including AXIONs, the International Society for Pediatric Innovation (iSPI), and the advisory board for Daily Human. She is mentoring faculty with the Creative Destruction Lab Health and Wellness track in Madison, WI, guiding numerous startups annually. Jennifer is also faculty for the Center for Professional Education and Development with the University of Wisconsin MadisonSchool of Business, and for the Wisconsin Hospital Association.
Jennifer holds an MBA in HR and Management with a focus on Health Care, with a BBA in Finance, both from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Originally from Eau Claire, WI, she now splits her time between healthcare innovation and cheering on the Packers and Badgers with her husband Jon and dog Tigger.
About Mentor of the Year
Any TRUST member who demonstrates mentor attributes including: being a connector; strong communicator; sharing wisdom; modeling or supporting work/life integration; having integrity/authenticity; and being accessible/ approachable.
- Attributes should be demonstrated, exhibited, taught, confirmed, visible, “lived”
- Recognized as being an inspiration, and positively impacting the professional development and career trajectory of others.
This award is based on the experiences of the nominee’s formal and informal mentees, not the mentor’s personal career achievements. Anyone (member or not) may nominate someone for the award, but each nominee should be a current TRUST member.
Why Reward Mentors?
Mentorship, both formal and informal, can be an important ingredient to work/life integration, career success and trajectory — yet it is often something that, while prized by recipients, is rarely rewarded. In 2016, the TRUST established the Mentor of the Year Award to highlight the importance and skill of mentorship and the powerful impact a single person can have on the lives of many. The award is presented to a TRUST member who positively affects others via the demonstrated mentorship qualities.
Other Mentor of the Year Award Winners by Year:
2024: Collen Rogers
2023: Bobbi Kochevar, MBA, MLS(ASCP)CM
2022: Diane Nanstad
2021: Colleen Askvig
2020: Jeannine Rivet
2019: Pamela Stegora Axberg
2018: Danielle Hansen
2017: Samantha Hanson
2016: Jill Johnson