I have spent the past decade inside the Thurston County Assessor’s Office, holding nearly every appraisal position, and have the experience and institutional knowledge to lead as your Thurston County Assessor.
The Assessor’s Office is vital to our community. It funds the public services we rely on every day—from schools and fire districts to essential local government.
JJ Olson works directly with community members to provide accurate assessments, answer questions with empathy, and resolve concerns. As part of the leadership team managing day-to-day operations, he has built an approach on accuracy, trust, and clear communication.
Small errors can ripple outward impacting families, small businesses, and the local services our community relies on. JJ Olson believes accuracy isn’t optional. It’s the foundation of public trust.
Getting it right the first time matters, and so does having leadership that understands the work well enough to spot problems early.
JJ Olson believes the Assessor’s Office must also be accessible and transparent to earn community trust. Over the years, he has fielded countless calls and emails from taxpayers with questions about their property values. What he’s learned is simple: people don’t just want a number. They want to understand how and why that value was determined. They want clear explanations, not jargon, and real answers, not canned responses.
JJ believes in working with the community to provide the best information possible. Clear communication and public education are essential parts of doing the job well.
Outside of work, JJ is deeply involved in the local soccer community, having played for and coached with FC Olympia. That experience has shaped how he approaches leadership. Sometimes the best coach is someone who has been a player — someone who understands the work because they’ve lived it.
JJ brings that same mindset to the Assessor’s Office. He has done the job, understands the pressures staff face, and knows what it takes to guide a team forward.
JJ also has the support of colleagues within the Assessor’s Office management team, reflecting the trust he’s earned from people who understand the responsibility and demands of the work.
About JJ Olson
Originally from Minnesota, JJ Olson moved to Olympia to attend Saint Martin’s University. Before having even graduated, JJ began working at the Thurston County Assessor’s Office starting the career that would give him experience in nearly every part of the department. In that time, he has served as a senior appraiser, appraisal analyst, and now as the Business Applications Administrator, overseeing the appraisal and tax software systems that power the office’s day-to-day work.
