Dr. Kelly Ottman is an award-winning global educator, executive coach, consultant, and scholar with more than 30 years of experience developing leaders and strengthening organizations. A former healthcare executive, she brings a distinctive combination of executive experience, academic expertise, original research, and empathy to her work with leaders and organizations locally, nationally, and globally.

Kelly partners with Fortune 500 executives, multigenerational family businesses, technical leaders, universities, K–12 education, boards, and nonprofit organizations across the United States, China, India, and beyond. Her customized coaching and consulting engagements integrate leadership development, organizational culture, and strategic change. Many partnerships span several years, supporting sustained growth and transformation.

A former healthcare executive in a complex academic medical institution and healthcare system, Kelly understands the realities of leading people, teams, and organizations.

She holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership and Adult Education and a Master of Public Administration in Healthcare Administration and Public Policy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and completed a prestigious two-year executive development fellowship.

As a leadership professor, Dr. Ottman has taught undergraduate, graduate, and Executive MBA students, with international teaching assignments in China, Germany, and India. She has received international and university teaching awards.

She founded and led the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) Doing Business with China Program (2009–2019), collaborating with more than 25 corporations in the United States and China. The leadership development capstone program integrated global business education, corporate partnerships, and servant leadership projects in rural China.

Dr. Ottman’s scholarship includes major original studies of executive leadership in China and executive retirement, complemented by applied research on leadership, organizational culture, employee engagement and change.

An internationally experienced speaker, she translates research and leadership theory into practical insights through engaging, experiential presentations in both in-person and virtual settings. Over 50 peer-reviewed international scholarly presentations.

Committed to developing women leaders, Kelly serves as the volunteer Executive Leadership Coach Coordinator for the WE Empower UN SDG Challenge and International Leadership Association. She also serves on the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Wisconsin Board.

She has extensive board leadership experience and has lead board development.

Her commitment to servant leadership includes international leadership development service initiatives in China, Ghana, Mexico, Panama, and Vietnam. For more than 25 years, she coordinated a Christmas Eve program serving people experiencing homelessness in Milwaukee.

A proud mother and grandmother, Kelly values family, friendships, and exploring cultures through travel. Her commitment to cross-cultural understanding was recognized with the 2015 Friend of Rockwell Automation Asia Pacific Award. She welcomes international medical students into her home and rejuvenates through gardening, yoga, camping, kayaking, and
gathering with friends.