Erik D. Olson

With more than 30 years of experience working at the intersection of public policy and consumer advocacy, Erik D. Olson currently directs NRDC's advocacy initiatives on health, food, and agriculture, including campaigns on drinking water protection, toxins in products and the environment, pesticides, food additives, antibiotics, and efforts related to agriculture and climate change. For 15 years, he worked as a senior attorney at NRDC and as the director of its Advocacy Center and Public Health program before leaving to serve as general counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Later, he oversaw food safety and other food-related work at The Pew Charitable Trusts; he rejoined NRDC in 2013. Olson's work has led to the first major overhaul of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's food safety laws in more than 70 years, as well as revamped laws protecting the nation's drinking water and food supply from pesticides. He holds degrees from Columbia University and the University of Virginia School of Law. He is based in Washington, D.C.