Distinguished Alumnus
Class of 2025

Diane M. Olson

AHS Class of 1981

Diane Olson’s mother recognized her third grade daughter’s love of math and suggested she would someday be a good accountant. Arcola High School business teacher Karen Hohlbauch also saw her potential and guided her to accounting, but Diane’s leadership role for a fictitious company in Jane Lockett’s accounting class decided her future. She knew she wanted to study accounting in college, leading to her distinguished career with a Fortune 500 global company.

Diane Marie Olson, the daughter of Gladys “Brandy” Barclay and Jim Patridge of Arcola, Illinois, and Richard Olson of Harrisburg, Illinois, was born September 13, 1962. She was the fourth of five children, with siblings Rick, Randy, Debbie and Desi, and lived in Hobart, Indiana, until the age of sixteen. Her mother married Jim Patridge and they relocated to Arcola with Diane and Desi in 1979. Brandy and Jim were longtime managers at Kaskaskia Country Club.

As a second-semester sophomore, Diane’s transition to Arcola High School from her much larger high school came with some speculation, but proved to be one of the best experiences of her life. She is grateful for the education she received at AHS and learned early on the teachers really cared about the well-being and future of their students, not only from a career perspective, but from a personal perspective. Diane had been an active student at Hobart High School and then became involved in Spanish Club, volleyball, basketball, softball and was a football statistician at AHS. She was elected junior class secretary and senior class vice-president, received the class DAR award and was a Prom Court attendant. Diane was further recognized as a junior class graduation marshal and National Honor Society president her senior year.

Following high school graduation, Diane’s accounting interest led to her 1983 employment in accounting at Libman Broom Company. While working full time at Libman, Diane was also a part-time student at Parkland College. She completed her A.A.S. in Accounting in 1987 and then continued her studies at Eastern Illinois University as a full-time student, while still working full time at Libman Broom in Arcola. She completed her B.S. in Accounting in 1989.

At the urging of her EIU accounting instructor, Diane submitted her first resume to Marathon Oil Company, accompanied by her instructor’s recommendation. Following an extensive interview process, she soon landed an accounting position with Marathon in September 1989, leading to her thirty-one year career with the global exploration and production company headquartered in Houston, Texas. In her first fifteen years with Marathon, Diane’s responsibilities increased with her roles as Accountant, Joint Interest Auditor, Internal Control Audit Supervisor and Corporate Accounting Manager. During this time, she also became licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in 1993.

In 2002, Marathon Oil acquired major assets in Equatorial Guinea in Western Africa. With known corruption in EG, Marathon’s Controller sought an ethical candidate for leadership in Africa, who would be able to ensure proper financial controls were in place and the company was in full compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Diane was chosen as Accounting Manager for the assignment and relocated to Western Africa in August 2004. She then educated national personnel and EG government officials on all financial matters related to the business. Diane returned to Houston in September 2005 as Corporate Audit Manager, managing a team of three supervisors and twenty-nine auditors. She advanced to Corporate Accounting Manager in September 2010.

Diane returned to Africa in June 2012 as Finance and Accounting Director for an equity company of Marathon Oil. Her work continued in Houston in April 2016, when she was promoted to Internal Controls Coordinating Audit Manager. Marathon sent Diane to Africa again in September 2017, in her final assignment for the company as Finance and Accounting Director for Marathon Equatorial Guinea Production Limited.

While grateful for the challenging and rewarding opportunity to work in EG for nearly eight years, Diane was pleased to return to Illinois in July 2020, prior to her October retirement. In her years with Marathon, she had guided multiple collaborative teams through significant organizational change, traveled to sixteen countries with her work responsibilities and earned numerous Achievement of Company Excellence awards.

Diane’s selfless approach to life has focused on making a positive impact on others, including her time as a softball coach in the Arcola Summer Recreation program. While living in Texas, Diane volunteered with Special Olympics, Houston Marathon, March of Dimes Walk, Houston Open PGA tournament and with the Browning Elementary School Pen Pal Program. She worked with inner city high school students as the advisor for Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas, managed the Adopt-a-Family for Christmas Program and organized a charity golf outing for the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation. Additionally, Diane currently serves as president of the Tuscola Woman’s Club.

Upon her return to Illinois, Diane settled in her rural Tuscola home, where she welcomes friends and family. She is a special “Auntie” to her twelve nieces and nephews and twenty-six great nieces and nephews. Travel also continues to play an important role in her life, as her work and personal travel adventures have now taken her to thirty-one countries. Diane continues to live her life with a grateful heart and is thankful to God for all blessings.