2012 Distinguished Service Award

Presented to: Mr. Paul Olson

Citation: For his service to The Institute of Navigation in the creation of the ION’s Military Division.

Mr. Olson served as the chair of the Joint Services Data Exchange (JSDE) for the past two years, during which time he spearheaded the development and expansion of the Joint Navigation Conference (JNC)'s technical program, played an instrumental role in the formation and organization of the ION's newly formed Military Division, and organized the Military Division's assumption of the Joint Navigation Conference (JNC).

In order to achieve the successful merger of the two non-profits' cultures, Mr. Olson worked tirelessly to build bridges and professionally collaborate with representatives and leaders from the JSDE, the ION, and various branches of the DOD, DHS, and FFRDC liaisons. He undertook these tasks in support of state of the art navigation technologies that support the Warfighter. Through Mr. Olson's patience, leadership, and negotiation skills, he built the required trust and continuity to ensure the sustainability and success of the JNC conference for years to come.