Kathy Olsen, MSU College of Education 2024 Alumna of the Year

Kathy Olsen is a two-time MSU graduate and resident of Nashville, Tennessee, as well as an accomplished CPA and tax accountant. The Mississippi native earned her bachelor’s degree in music in 1973 and a master’s degree in music education in 1974. 

She taught music theory at Northwest Mississippi Community College before earning an accounting equivalency degree from the University of Memphis. She worked for several years in Big 8 accounting and corporate tax. 

Despite transitioning into accounting, Olsen’s passion for music has remained a strong part of her life and involvement at MSU. Along with her love for the piano and harp, she has continued to teach piano voluntarily in limited-income schools and regularly hosts concert performances. 

She and her husband are proud supporters of MSU’s music department, contributing to its transformation into an All Steinway School, as well as the university’s veterinary and animal care clinic. Recently, she was asked to serve on the advisory board for the Nashville Music Chamber Society, a high honor and testimony to her dedication to the arts.