Ron Olson served as director of Ann Arbor's parks and recreation system from 1985 to 2004. 

From a June 2009 Ann Arbor Observer article: "An avid runner and outdoor enthusiast, he majored in recreation and parks administration at the University of Minnesota and got a master's in the same subject from Indiana University. He spent eleven years in Maryland's parks system and two years in Indiana's before being hired to run the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Department in 1985. The next two decades were the glory years for the city's parks. Backed by environmentally minded voters who approved new taxes to expand and maintain the system, Olson added thirty-five parks and more than 360 acres of land. He oversaw the creation of the Leslie Science and Nature Center, the founding of the Natural Area Preservation program, and the transformation of an old gravel pit on Pontiac Trail into a park with walking and mountain bike paths, and a fishing pond. " That park was named in his honor: Olson Park.

During Olson's tenure with the city, he filled in as interim city administrator after Neil Berlin’s departure and before Roger Fraser was hired in 2002.

In January 2005, Olson became chief of the Parks and Recreation Division for the State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Bio on the American Academy for Park & Recreation Administration website: http://aapra.org/members/ron-olson

Ron Olson (Photo from the Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources)