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Richard K. Olsen, 62, founder and Executive Director of The National Stillbirth Society, is a native of New York City. A 1961 graduate of Yale University with a BA in Economics, Olsen went on to study management science at New York University’s Bernard Baruch School of Business.
His first employment following college was as a stockbroker with the Wall Street firm of Reynolds & Co. In 1965 he joined the Madison Avenue firm of Batten, Barton, Durstin & Osborn, where he ran magazine and TV ad campaigns for national consumer goods brands. Woolite, Easy-Off, Black Flag, and Dannon Yogurt are a few of the better-known brands for which he was responsible. A self-employed entrepreneur since 1973, Olsen relocated to Arizona in that year, settling first in Sedona where he entered the real estate business. In 1988 he moved again, this time to Phoenix, to expand his growing real estate business throughout Arizona. Nothing in his personal or business life, however, prepared him for the role he has since assumed as the leader in the fight to “Stamp Out SADS”.
In 1996 Olsen married Sharon E. Arnold. Both childless in prior marriages, the couple learned in January 2000 that Sharon was expecting. In May they learned they would have a daughter. On August 17, 2000 Camille Rayana was born “still” at full term, following a textbook-perfect pregnancy. Sometime during maternal sleep the evening before her induced delivery, Camille died. As is often the case with the majority of stillbirths, an autopsy failed to reveal any medical cause for her death. Camille’s memorial website is at http://www.camilleolsen.com/.
Not comfortable wearing the mantle of a “victim”, Olsen began his search for answers, as most all stillbirth parents do. Within a year of Camille’s death, upon learning that there was no national advocacy group for stillbirth research, Olsen founded The National Stillbirth Society and became its Executive Director. He also formed a “sister” foundation to raise funds for stillbirth advocacy.
Early on in his search for answers Olsen entered into a friendship with Joanne Cacciatore who had formed The MISS Foundation, an Arizona-based international support group for parents who suffer the loss of a child from any cause at any age. (http://www.missfoundation.org ) Joanne had suffered the full term stillbirth in 1994 of her own daughter Cheyenne, which was how she had become involved. In late 2000 Joanne and Richard joined forces in support of stillbirth legislation that The MISS Foundation had introduced in the Arizona Legislature.
In April 2001 Governor Hull signed the “The Missing Angel Bill” authorizing the Bureau of Vital Records to issue a “Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth” to parents of stillborn infants. At this time Arizona is still the only state to issue to stillbirth parents this important recognition; Camille and Cheyenne were the first babies in the nation to be so honored.
Just 3 days before terrorists struck at NYC Olsen appeared before the National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC to give a presentation on the topic of child death. While in Washington Olsen also called on Congressional leaders and met with the Director of the National Institute of Health and Child Development to urge they undertake action on stillbirth research.
This past December 2001, the House Senate Joint Committee on Appropriations adopted language that had been submitted to them by the National Stillbirth Society that will permit stillbirth research to move forward. This milestone represents the first step in the search for the answer as to why otherwise healthy babies die just before they are born.
Richard Olsen lives in north-Central Phoenix with his wife Sharon and two “spoiled-rotten” cats. His home is a 3,200 square foot custom spec he designed and built in 1998. At present he is developing The Lofts at Colter, a 55 home central Phoenix residential community that is the largest infill development to be built in central Phoenix in decades.
A licensed pilot, residential developer, real estate broker, consultant and accomplished Chinese chef, Olsen’s idea of relaxation is a week aboard a Lake Powell houseboat, or a long weekend anywhere in Europe, whenever the roundtrip fare from Phoenix dips below $400, usually in winter. Mr. Olsen available by phone at 602-216-6600 or by e-mail at mailto:rko@cox.net.
Executive Director
The National Stillbirth Society
Last Updated
07/20/2006
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