Contact Information

Double Discovery Center (Columbia University)

http://www.mscenterforjustice.org/about-center/staff
Jackson MS 39215

Biography

Olger Twyner serves as development director in the Center’s Jackson office, managing fund development activities and implementing initiatives to broaden MCJ’s nationwide presence and to cultivate existing and new donor relationships. Twyner also works closely with staff to execute annual fundraising events. He holds a B.A. in History from Jackson State University, a J.D. from Ohio State University College of Law, and an MBA in Public and Non-Profit Management from Columbia University. Twyner served as a judicial clerk with the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Mississippi, and practiced public interest law for six years with Southeast Mississippi Legal Services. Twyner resided in New York for twenty years, serving as a Ford Foundation consultant and founding coordinator of the New York University Public Interest Law Center, managing a variety of initiatives for NYU Law School students and alumni interested in public service careers. Additionally, at Columbia Business School, Twyner served as Community Collaboration Project director and later as executive director of Double Discovery Center at Columbia College. In those roles, he developed projects created to stimulate economic and educational progress in Harlem and managed a variety of programs designed to promote post-secondary school enrollment for more than 1,000 low-income and first-generation college-bound students annually.

A native of Laurel, Mississippi, Twyner moved to New Orleans in 2008 to serve as Xavier University of Louisiana’s associate vice president for sponsored programs. Twyner has served on several boards and has volunteered with a variety of organizations whose goals include increasing educational attainment for youth and promoting community engagement.