HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College athletic department and Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) welcomed Dr. Margaret Ottley for a virtual lecture Thursday, September 17. The presentation, attended by more than 60 student-athletes, coaches, and administrators, was entitled "Practicing with a Purpose: Mental Wellness Perspective: Self-Care/Resilience/Social Justice During Covid-19."

Dr. Ottley, a Professor of Sport & Exercise Psychology at West Chester University, focused on exploring the intersections between the ongoing pandemic and the continued fight for racial and social justice, empowering student-athletes to use their platforms as equitable leaders in society. The presentation laid out the history of our current crises and helped center the athletic experience within the overall framework of current events. 

The lecture explored themes of loss, anxiety, isolation, and powerlessness in navigating and adapting to changing campus and home environments due to the pandemic. The presentation concluded with an emphasis on the importance of self-care and wellness as it relates to high athletic performance. Ottley led student-athletes through some guided meditation before a robust question and answer session to wrap up the evening. 

Ottley received her Ph.D. and MA degree from Temple University in Sport & Exercise Psychology, a second MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (WCU), and a BA degree from Spelman College in Child Development & Family Studies. She completed her post-doctoral training at Purdue University focusing on Curriculum and Instruction in physical education. She is an Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Fellow and Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) and is also a National Certified Counselor (NCC) in the field of clinical mental health.

For over 12 years, Dr. Ottley has competed in field hockey at Caribbean regional and international levels for the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and is the founder and chair of Sankofa HP (HyPower Performance) LLC, which provides culturally specific mental performance training to a diverse number of athletes and sport practitioners.

As the Caribbean's first sport psychology consultant, Dr. Ottley was commissioned by the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Sports (2009-2013), to implemented two 3-year sport psychology programs for sport administrators, coaches, and elite athletes. During this time, Dr. Ottley, also held three Caribbean Sport Psychology Conferences, 2010, 2011, 2013. She has traveled with medical teams (serving track & field, cycling, boxing, gymnastics, shooting, swimming sailing, rugby, netball, soccer, field hockey athletes) for four Olympic Games (2004, 2008,2012, 2016) and a number of Commonwealth and IAAF sanctioned games, since 2002. In 2008, she was the sport psychology consultant for USA Track and Field's Olympic team and serviced other international games—world youth, world juniors and Pan American Games (2005-2008; 2017/2019). Dr Ottley also worked with Trinidad and Tobago's national women's soccer (CONCACAF and World Cup Qualifier) and U-19 cricket teams.