Dr Ann Olivarius graduated summa cum laude , Phi Beta Kappa from Yale College, Class of 1977. As a Rhodes Scholar, she gained a prize-winning doctorate in Economics from Somerville College, Oxford, before becoming the first person in the history of Yale to complete the combined five-year degree from the Business School and the Law School in three years with highest honors.

While pursuing her undergraduate studies at Yale, Dr. Olivarius was involved in the first lawsuit to define sexual harassment in an educational institution as a civil rights violation. Before founding her own firm, she ran the Corporate Department at Shearman & Sterling's Washington, DC office, was General Counsel, CEO and Director of Scientific Programs of a major medical foundation with assets valued at over $100 million, served as a legal and financial advisor for Perot Systems and Computer Memories, Inc., and worked on financial transactions from the banker's side at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. She has collaborated with Japanese lawyers in developing a comprehensive analysis of American corporate organization and business design, and helped develop successful strategies for US multinationals' expansion into Asia.

In addition, Dr. Olivarius serves on the boards of a number of charities, including openDemocracy USA Inc. She is a trustee of GenerationNext!, a Director of Latitude LifeCare and Chair of the Rhodes Project, and is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia.