Michelle J. Ottley-Fisher, a native of the US Virgin Islands, is in her 32nd  year of public education.  Mrs. Fisher began her career teaching dance and earth-space science at the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and later served as the director of dance at the Landon School for the Arts and Academics, all in Jacksonville Florida.  She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Dance and Secondary Education at Jacksonville University and recently became the recipient of Jacksonville University’s School of Fine Arts’, “Distinguished Alumni in Theatre and Dance” award. Michelle also holds the “Florida Arts Model Program” designation for her department at the LaVilla School of the Arts and was honored to serve as the 2010 Teacher-of the Year at her current school.

During her 33 years in Jacksonville, Michelle has been lucky enough to have built lasting relationships in schools, churches, and in community dance and theatre organizations in and around the state of Florida and more recently, the nation.  Her love of dance has also afforded Michelle the opportunity to serve as faculty for the Florida Dance Masters convention, the Orlando Ballet School summer intensive, and the National Modern Dance competition. Ms. Ottley proudly adds the re-staging of choreography for over 150 musical productions to her repertoire. 

Affectionately known and Mama O, Mrs. Ottley-Fisher is in her 23rd year as director of the dance department at the LaVilla School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida; a program for which she has designed and built the curriculum in one of the most sought-after performing arts schools in the state.  She was lucky enough to have been among the founding instructors at LaVilla and is amazingly proud of the impact that she gets to be a part of every day.   However, Mrs. Fisher’s most rewarding roles have been as a wife and mother to three incredible young women.