Otis graduated from West Chester University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He then went on to Temple University where he earned his law degree in 2004.

Otis’ call for leadership and public service began at West Chester, where he served as president of The Black Student Union. He also served as secretary of the Latin American Student Organization and as a member of the Student Action Committee. As a law student, Otis interned with the Defenders Association of Philadelphia, Temple Legal Aid, Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project, and the Federal Defenders Association.

Otis’ story has been featured in Chicken Soup for the African American Soul where he describes how he used his chess sills to learn how to deal with everyday life. These skills have certainly brought him far in life and influenced his decision to open his own law practice, focusing in the areas of zoning and land use, criminal and family law. Believing that the city could do better, Otis served as the outreach director for the Nutter for Mayor campaign – helping it from last place into overwhelming victory. Otis now serves as the executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Services, a community action agency whose mission is to provide leadership that strengthens and coordinates the City’s anti-poverty efforts. As executive director, Otis helped to transform the Mayor’s Office of Community Service into an agency the provides effective and efficient service to the City residents.

Otis currently resides in the Strawberry Mansion section of North Philadelphia, not far from his former middle school, with his wife Donna.

Original Article: West Chester University, Division of Student Affairs