Samuel Scott Olens is an American attorney and politician who served as of Attorney General of Georgia. Olens was elected Georgia AG in 2010, resigning on November 1, 2016 following his appointment as President of Kennesaw State University. He subsequently resigned as KSU's president on February 15, 2018 amid controversy over his handling of a protest by football cheerleaders who knelt during the national anthem. Prior to his election as Attorney General, Olens served as chairman of the Cobb County, Georgia Commission from 1998 through 2010. He defeated former District AttorneyKen Hodges in the 2010 state elections for Attorney General, becoming the first person of the Jewish faith to win a statewide, partisan race in Georgia. Following Olens' resignation announcement, Christopher M. Carr was appointed as his successor by GovernorNathan Deal.
He was elected to the Cobb County Commission in 1998, serving until 2010. He was the commission's chairman from 2002 to 2010. Since 2004, he has served as the chair of the Atlanta Regional Commission. In 2009, he stepped down from that position. Olens defeated state senator Preston Smith to win the Republican nomination for attorney general. In the general election, he defeated former Dougherty County District Attorney Ken Hodges. Olens joined forces with legislators to advocate for a stronger human trafficking law in Georgia. HB 200 went into effect on July 1, 2011. Olens worked alongside legislators to pass a re-write of Georgia's Open Meetings and Open Records Laws. HB 397 was the result in the 2012 legislative session, and was signed by Gov. Nathan Deal on April 17, 2012. Olens delivered a primetime address on national healthcare reform and federal regulatory overreach to the Republican National Convention in Tampa on August 29, 2012.
In mid-September 2016, sources close to the University System of Georgia leaked information that Olens might be on a short list to appointment as president of KennesawState University, in Kennesaw, Georgia. The university's previous president, Dr. Daniel S. Papp, retired on May 10, 2016, and the University System of Georgia's Chief Academic Officer Dr. Houston Davis was appointed as acting president pending a replacement. Many university staff and student groups objected to the potential appointment, citing Olens' lack of university experience, previous support of Georgia's controversial attempt to ban same-sex marriage, the lack of a national search, and the lack of accountability and transparency in the process through which Sam Olens was chosen. This resulted in multiple campus protests, petitions, and letters from staff to the University System of Georgia administrators. On October 3, 2016, Hank Huckaby, the Chancellor of the University System of Georgia, sent an open letter to all faculty and students of Kennesaw State University with a confirmation that Olens was indeed being considered for the role of president. On October 4, 2016, Olens participated in an "open interview" before a USG open session of the Board of Regents’ Executive and Compensation Committee, at which time he formally requested the job. Later that afternoon, the USG Chancellor once again notified the Kennesaw State University of the status of Olens' request via email, minutes before a protest, to ask that the university community keep an open mind. Included in the email was a letter from Olens to the Board, in which Olens specifically cited his previous experience as Cobb County Commissioner and his ties to the community. The Board voted on the matter on October 12, 2016 and Olens became Kennesaw State's fourth president under a unanimous vote. His tenure officially began on November 1, 2016. A formal complaint was filed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by several faculty members who believe that discrimination was evident in Olen's appointment, as three women applied to the position but were apparently not considered. On December 14, 2017, Olens announced his resignation after bowing to behind-the-scenes pressure from conservative Georgia politicians and mishandling protests by cheerleaders.
