LSU Stephenson Technologies Corporation Names James Olson President and CEO, Tiffany Galasso COO

BATON ROUGE – James M. Olson, executive director of the LSU Stephenson Security Programs Institute and retired U.S. Navy Captain, has been appointed President and CEO of Stephenson Technologies Corporation, or STC, effective October . Tiffany Galasso, senior program manager at STC, was named the new Chief Operating Officer effective September 1.

STC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit federally compliant contractor focused on providing solutions to the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Intelligence Community, and other federal markets. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Baton Rouge, STC operates as a stand-alone corporation owned by LSU.

As an applied research firm, STC uses research and development expertise to support LSU President William F. Tate IV’s Scholarship First Agenda by delivering the people, products and solutions required to solve our country’s unique national security challenges. STC’s services include information technology security, systems and software development, critical infrastructure security, and regulatory compliance. One of the five priority areas of President Tate’s Scholarship First Agenda focuses on LSU’s contributions to national defense and cybersecurity.

In support of his new role, Olson has resigned from his previous position as executive director of the LSU Stephenson Security Programs Institute, which he has held since 2022. 

“I am honored by the trust both LSU and the STC Board of Directors have assigned me to advance work with national security programs bringing LSU the strategic support required to engage in applied research that delivers capabilities to operational missions.” Olson said.

Prior to joining LSU, Olson served in the U.S. Navy for 25 years as a nuclear submarine officer, flight meteorologist, and science and technology program manager. Following his military career, he was the director of business development at Ball Aerospace and a profit and loss director at Raytheon. He was also executive vice president of data programs for a space start-up, and the executive director of the Center for National Security Initiatives at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Galasso is an LSU graduate and former assistant dean at her alma mater. She brings leadership practice as a proven change agent with over 17 years of experience in higher education and defense industries. In collaboration with the greater LSU community, she will drive operational excellence through strategic planning and innovative workforce development initiatives to develop creative solutions that facilitate sustainable business growth.

Brien Dickson, former professor of Naval Science at Southern University, has also joined STC to replace Galasso and assumes the role as executive director of programs. Dickson retired from the U.S. Navy as Captain on September 1^st. Prior to joining STC, Dickson served in the U.S. Navy for 30 years as a nuclear submarine officer. He will be responsible for developing and executing the program management strategy according to the strategic objectives of the organization.