All About Olivia Dunne's Parents, Katherine and David Dunne (2024)

Olivia Dunne’s parents, Katherine and David Dunne, taught their daughter the value of growing a platform.

The gymnastics star grew up in New Jersey with her parents and older sister, Julianna Dunne. Katherine and David met in college when Olivia’s father was playing Division 1 football for Rutgers University. Following in his footsteps, Olivia joined the Louisiana State University gymnastics team in 2020 with a full athletic scholarship.

Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she began posting content on social media. After rising to fame on TikTok and the mat, Olivia became one of the first collegiate athletes to be featured in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue in April 2023. The first thing she did to celebrate? Call her mom, she told PEOPLE.

“When I first got the call, I honestly was in disbelief,” said the NCAA championship winner. “That's the best word to describe it. I got off the phone, I was screaming and jumping around, and I called my mom immediately, and I think I cried.”

Since stepping into the spotlight as the highest-paid NCAA athlete, Katherine has encouraged her daughter to stay grounded as opportunities roll in.

“The most important thing is to try and just do normal things and have normal responsibilities,” Katherine told OutKick. “Live the ‘normal’ college life in the present, but take the NIL opportunities as they come and use them more as a foundation for your future.”

From their careers to supporting her training as a gymnast, here’s everything to know about Olivia Dunne’s parents, Katherine and David Dunne.

They met at Rutgers University

Katherine and David met in college at Rutgers University in New Jersey in the early 1990s, while he was playing Division 1 football and she was training as a gymnast. He attended college on an athletic scholarship and received an undergraduate degree in civil engineering.

Katherine studied business and education at Rutgers. David attended Pace University for graduate school and later returned to Rutgers, where he studied law.

Katherine and David got married in 2000

Katherine and David wed on May 28, 2000, and have been married for over two decades.

While David steers clear of social media, Katherine celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2020 with a throwback picture of them on Instagram. “20 YEARS!! No one I’d rather be quarantined on an island with. 🥰,” she captioned the post.

They have two daughters

Olivia grew up in a tight knit family with her older sister, Julianna Dunne. Katherine and David welcomed their first daughter on Feb. 1, 2001, almost two years before Olivia was born on Oct. 1, 2002. The LSU gymnast talked about their close relationship in an interview with ELLE, revealing that Julianna helps her ideate, shoot and edit content for social media.

Olivia is thankful to have her sister's support, adding that Julianna is “sometimes the brains behind the operation” of her brand. Using her eye for social media, Julianna posts videos with the NCAA gymnast champion on her personal social pages.

In a 2023 TikTok post, Julianna shared a few pictures of her and Olivia when their mother seemingly dressed them in matching clothes. “Behind every sibling duo with opposite styles are kids forced to dress in coordinating outfits,” wrote Julianna with the post.

Katherine and David worked together

After meeting in college, Katherina and David worked at Imagine Tomorrow. According to a 2023 profile with ELLE, the organization brought technology into schools and started computer centers for kids before David went on to become a corporate lawyer.

Her parents' knowledge of technology aided Olivia’s career as a social media sensation. Instead of shying away from her daughter exploring tech, Katherine advocated for her daughter to use it for good.

“I’ve always been a big advocate of putting technology in the hands of kids and teaching them how to use it safely,” she said. “If you’re going to have your phone in your hand, don’t just scroll through — let’s make content, let’s do something.”

They were very involved in paving the way for her success

The gymnastics star broke new ground when her social media videos began going viral in 2020. Before she garnered 8 million followers on TikTok, Katherine encouraged her daughter to use social media to connect with other children her age because she was homeschooled.

“She was on the U.S. national team, and she had to travel a lot,” she said in a 2021 interview with The Daily Advertiser. “Social media became a way for her to connect with kids who would've been her classmates, and she used it to stay in touch with friends she had from gymnastics who were around the country.”

Over time, Olivia’s virtual presence began to grow because of her talent with her sport and “other aspects of her personality,” her mother says. Katherine knew that Olivia had a potential career brewing in social media when her daughter began posting on TikTok.

“When TikTok came out, she started using it for gymnastics, but also for some of the fun, dynamic parts of her personality,” said Katherine. “Then she grew it a lot during COVID when she wasn't able to train as much. She developed it because she could focus on it.”

As a lawyer and businessman, David helped Olivia manage her swift rise to acclaim online and set his daughter up for success.

“A lot of entities are reaching out to us. I'm looking over contracts, doing what I need to do to get Olivia in position,” said David. “It's been crazy. It's exciting times for the Dunne family right now.”

As for which avenue might his daughter take her career next? “We're keeping all options open,” he said.

Katherine supported Olivia’s gymnastic and social media career

Katherine is always cheering her daughter on from the sidelines. From the moment she began posting on social media, Katherine noticed that her daughter had a unique charm and dedication that allowed her platform to grow.

“She was used to following a schedule, so she just started doing social media like it was her job,” Katherine told ELLE. “She would sit down, make a schedule, map out what kinds of content she’d do, and then watch how it performed.”

In 2020, NIL rules for college athletes were different. As Olivia’s brand continued to grow, Katherine grew frustrated with how “strict” the NCAA’s standards were surrounding the monetization of collegiate athletes.

“She came to college with this audience, and for her not to be able to use her own name, image and likeness because it was wrapped up in these NCAA rules — basically, they owned her — was really unfair,” she added.

However, NCAA restrictions changed after an antitrust lawsuit in June 2021. Olivia became the first college athlete to sign with WME Sports and is the highest-paid NCAA athlete. Katherine was by her side throughout all the ups and downs, cheering for each win in Olivia’s career as a gymnast on and off the mat.

After Olivia won the 2024 NCAA gymnastics championship with the LSU Tigers, she told PEOPLE she ran to find her mother in the crowd “and gave her a big hug.”

When Katherine hasn’t been with her in public, she shows her support on social media. “So proud of Olivia! What a great first season at LSU,” she captioned an Instagram video of Olivia’s bar routine.