The Problem-Solver and Mentor
Aaron Olson BA ’96 has always loved solving complex problems and helping others, which he credits to his days as a philosophy and English major at North Park. While the problems he’s engaged with today as executive vice president (EVP) of Aon are less esoteric than those of a philosophy undergrad, they are still meaningful.
The fifth generation of North Parkers in his family, Olson, whose parents are both ordained ECC pastors, celebrates 25 years with the risk management company this year. His path to becoming EVP of Aon began with an interest in leadership at NPU, where he served as president of the Student Government Association.
This interest grew into a passion for leadership, which drove him to pursue a Master of Education from Northwestern University. He also served on the faculty at NPU and Northwestern, teaching leadership courses and coauthoring a book titled Leading with Strategic Thinking.
“The ideas I studied in philosophy and the values I learned at North Park align with the problem solving and mentoring that I do today.”
“The ideas I studied in philosophy and the values I learned at North Park align with the problem solving and mentoring that I do today,” he said. The sophisticated problem solving he contributes to at Aon includes figuring out how to help healthcare companies anticipate changes that come with the rapid advance of medicine and technology.
Helping others succeed is another vital aspect of his work. He is most proud of creating Aon’s apprenticeship program, profiled nationally in the Wall Street Journal, which helps City Colleges of Chicago students work toward their associate’s degrees while gaining valuable work experience. “We were one of the first companies in Chicago to provide this alternative career path,” he said.
Olson is also the executive sponsor of Aon’s partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which aims to create a more diversified talent pipeline through curriculum development and internships.
Finding time to give back to his alma mater, Olson has served as a member of North Park’s Board of Trustees since 2017, where he is vice chair of the finance committee and champion of the DEI campus climate study. “Our focus on first-generation students and social mobility was true a century ago with Swedish immi- grants and remains true today with our student community,” he said.
The Business-Minded Athlete
Lorena Soria BA ’21 considers herself lucky to work for one of Chicago’s most prominent family-owned businesses, the Chicago Bears.
“It’s such an honor to work for an iconic team like the Bears,” said Soria, an events coordinator. “It’s also incredible to be surrounded by a sport I’ve loved my whole life and be part of an organization that puts family first.”
She credits family matriarch Virginia McCaskey and her son George, who knows all his employees by name, with making her feel a part of the extended Bears family. Soria’s enviable, if rigorous, job duties include handling all event operations on game day and coordinating corporate partner and community events at Halas Hall, the Bears’ Lake Forest headquarters.
“One of the things I value about North Park is that you’re building a network of contacts even before you leave.”
Soria’s path to her dream job began as a business and economics major at North Park, where she says professors like Brian Vollmert, associate professor of marketing, encouraged her to pursue a career in sports.
“I remember a conversation he and I had so vividly,” Soria recalled. “I knew I wanted to work in sports, but when I told a lot of people that, they were like, ‘what’s your plan B?’ but when I said it to him, he never looked at me funny or questioned it.”
Her love of football sparked right after high school, when she worked at Soldier Field as a part-time member of their event management team, which led to a position as an event operations team member at the Bears training camp post-graduation.
Following an internship with the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team, she returned to the Bears in her current full-time position.
Soria also credits her stint as captain of North Park’s women’s soccer team with developing her leadership skills and self-discipline, as well as giving her lifelong friendships.
“One of the things I value about North Park is that you’re building a network of contacts even before you leave.”