Chris Olson
My wife and I joined UUFR and UU in general in 2019. We were new to Raleigh (having family elsewhere in NC) and looking for community, friendship, a source of deeper exploration, and a good place for our then-future kids. For me, I was raised between Peoria, IL and Jacksonville, FL – I attended college and lived in Atlanta for ~10 years before moving to Los Angeles for a few years and then to Raleigh. I was raised Catholic and one thing I liked was how, as a child, my church provided connection, encouraged positive morals and giving back to others. So those are all values I wanted to find in a spiritual community for my kids/family – and I am glad to have them in UU! We’ve made great friends at UUFR, especially through the Young Adult group. I love UU’s focus on welcoming all and on encouraging spiritual growth. Plus, thanks to various volunteering/ministry, like with ONE Wake, I’ve connected with Raleigh better and helped us set down roots quickly here.
Professionally I’ve worked 15 years in management consulting, with a focus on supply chain processes but I’ve touched everything from marketing to finance to data analytics to warehouse operations. This includes helping businesses go through big transformations to their people, processes and technology – skills I’ve developed include communications (written, verbal), workshop facilitation, team development, schedule management, and collaboration across different teams/timezones/virtual. I also volunteer as a mentor for young professionals and love working on training, development, and change management.
In any given evening you can find me chasing around our 1.5 and 4 year old, playing ukulele (current family fave is “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”), or cooking a curry. I love puzzles and games, playing with my 3D printer, and listening to comedy podcasts.
I’ve loved the people I’ve met through UUFR, and look forward to the Ministerial Search process as an excellent chance to meet and talk with even more members of our community. It will be great to work on this exciting new chapter together!
