Steven Nielson

Steven Nielson (born September 4, 1979) is an American statesman, small government political activist, a former Libertarian Party officer, astronautical engineer, artist, and children's author.

Steven Nielson was born on September 4, 1979, to parents Mari Davies and Lloyd Barry Nielson Jr, in Portland, Oregon.

Nielson's parents were married only a short period of time and he was subject to several relocations prior to finally settling down with his father in Enumclaw, Washington.

He has two brothers and three sisters.

Nielson graduated from Enumclaw High School in 1998.

Nielson attended Green River Community College in Auburn, Washington, as an undergraduate, with an emphasis on pre-engineering.

In 2000, he was recognized as American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Student of the Year after leading his college to victory in design innovation competitions.

Nielson attended the University of Washington, where he earned his B.S. in Astronautical Engineering in 2004, with a specific focus in aerospace composite structures.

Nielson was heavily involved with education outreach and on-campus politics.

He served as advisor for the resident hall student association, vice-president of his residence hall, Hansee Hall, president and founder of the Mars Society at University of Washington, and the president of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics UW Chapter.

He was awarded a scholarship for professional potential in the field of aerospace engineering.

Steven Nielson is a professional Quality Assurance Engineer, having worked for Lockheed Martin, Hexcel, and Blue Origin.

While employed with Lockheed, Nielson redefined Foreign Object Debris maturity measures for the corporation and their supply chain.

He led quality teams in military satellite assembly, test, and integration.

He was selected for his expertise in space composites to assist with early design of the Orion spacecraft within Lockheed Martin where he made significant contributions to the supply chain quality management systems, focusing on development of small/disadvantaged businesses.

Nielson began volunteering for the Republican Party in 2004, in Santa Clara county.

Nielson was the first Libertarian candidate to survive a contested primary election following Washington's adoption of Initiative 872 in 2004.

In 2006, he was appointed and re-elected as the Secretary of the Republican Party in Douglas County, Colorado.

During this time Nielson was heavily involved in the presidential campaigns of Tom Tancredo and Mike Huckabee.

Nielson graduated from the Leadership Program of the Rockies in 2008 where he was first introduced in-depth to Libertarian philosophies.

Nielson's political involvement earned him a coveted question to the presidential candidates in the first YouTube/CNN Republican debates, in Florida.

Upon returning to Washington State, Nielson was sought for chairman of the Kitsap County Republicans, but refused in order to focus on other political activism.

In 2010, Nielson was elected as Precinct Committee Officer for the Republican Party in Ridgetop 149 precinct but left the Republican Party shortly after to officially join ranks with the Libertarian Party in early 2011.

Nielson ended his career with Lockheed Martin in 2012 after three years of nuclear missile test and fabrication at Naval Submarine Base Bangor.

Nielson joined an advanced composites manufacturing facility in Kent, Washington.

Nielson specialized in strategic problem solving and continuous improvement initiatives as a senior member of the Quality Management team.

As a technical member in the Blue Engines business unit, Nielson has been recognized as an innovator in advanced space applications at Blue Origin.

Nielson is a noted community leader as early as his high school days, where he used his position as class president to advocate for educational outreach and cross-functional/interdisciplinary education, volunteering throughout his high-school tenure for elementary advisor programs (educational camp), and drug abuse education.

Through college, Nielson used his leadership positions to continue educational outreach where he volunteered in elementary settings, teaching science and math to elementary students.

Throughout his career Nielson has volunteered for educational outreach programs, such as Advancement Via Individual Determination, and has been a champion for community involvement in the education system.

On campus, Nielson was a leader for student's rights, challenging the then University Smoking Ban at the University of Washington.

In early 2014, Nielson accepted a request from the Libertarian Party of Washington to explore a campaign as a Libertarian for the state legislature.

On May 31, 2014, Nielson was unanimously nominated by the state party to represent the party in the race for State Representative in Washington's 2nd Legislative District, challenging Republican Incumbent and House Floor Minority Leader JT Wilcox.

A third contender entered the race on the final day of filing from the Democratic Party, Rick Payne.

Despite attempting to register as a "Marijuana Party Democrat", Payne's official party preference from the Secretary of State's office indicated "Prefers Marijuana Party."

Nielson received 21% of the total vote in the primary, defeating the Democrat for Marijuana candidate and advancing to the General Election.

Nielson went on to finish the general election with 28.13% of the final vote.

Nielson became an appointed member of the Civil Service and Parks Commissions in Orting, WA in 2014 where he was unanimously elected as the Co-Chair of the dual commissions.

He has used this position to refurbish and rededicate the town's Veteran's Memorial, designing and executing the city project under all-volunteer labor and private donations.

Nielson was the 2016 Libertarian Candidate for Washington State Public Lands Commissioner, was the 2014 Libertarian candidate for Washington State Representative District 2 Position 2 of the Washington House of Representatives, and the first Libertarian candidate to survive a contested primary challenge since Washington's 2004 adoption of the top-two primary.