Margaret Ottley is an associate professor of sport psychology and kinesiology at West Chester University (WCU), PA. She received her B.A., in child development, from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, her M.Ed. and Ph.D., in sport psychology, from Temple University and her post-doc in Health & PE from Purdue University. Dr. Ottley is a certified Sport Psychology Consultant. She presently teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Mental Training, Motor Development and Learning, Sociology and Psychology of Sport and Principles of Coaching and supervises Health and PE student teachers.
Dr. Ottley is a national and international expert in applied sport psychology. She has to her credit numerous presentations and workshops. A few of the major organizations she has worked with are the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP), World Congress for Sport Psychology, the Caribbean Sport Medicine Congress and the Trinidad and Tobago Alliance for Sport and Physical Education (TTASPE). Her most recent publications are entitled Capoeira Angola: A symbol of cultural resistance and survival and co-authored Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity.
Dr. Ottley serves on the boards of the Black Women in Sport Foundation (BWSF); Pennsylvania State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (PSAHPERD) as Vice President of the Division for Girls and Women in Sports; and the West Chester University of the Fredrick Douglass Institute. Her extensive experience in her field derives from her work with elite and non-elite athletes at a youth, collegiate and senior levels and with coaches and parents. Dr. Ottley's sport psychology services are in regular demand by USA Track & Field (USATF), Trinidad & Tobago Olympic Committee and the BWSF. She has traveled, (2002-present) to most major international championships including the Commonwealth Games (England & Australia), Pan American Games (Dominican Republic), IAAF World Youth Games (Morocco, Africa), IAAF World Junior Games (Beijing, China) and the Olympic Games (Athens, Greece). She recently presented at the 2006 USATF Annual Convention. Dr. Ottley spoke on the mental preparation of coaches and athletes for the IAAF 2007 World Track & Field Championship (Osaka, Japan) and the 2008 Olympic Games (Beijing, China).
