Ottmann is Saulteaux and a member of the Fishing Lake First Nation.[1] Her first language was Nakawēmowin.[1] Ottmann's indigenous name is Misiaykimigookpaypomoytung (transl. thunder that can be felt over a large landscape).[2] Her mother was a school bus driver and her father was an athlete and coach who was a First Nation chief for thirty years.[2] Ottmann graduated from high school in Wadena, Saskatchewan.[2] After completing a bachelor's degree in education at the University of Calgary, Ottmann worked as a high school and elementary school teacher.[2][3] She earned a master's degree and Ph.D. in indigenous leadership education at the University of Saskatchewan.[3]
Ottmann was an associate professor and director of indigenous education at the University of Calgary for thirteen years.[4][2][3] In 2017, she joined the University of Saskatchewan as its inaugural vice-provost of indigenous engagement.[4][2] In 2021, she was president of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education; the first indigenous person in the role.[4][5] She is the founding editor of the peer-reviewed journal, Thrivance: Journal of Indigenous Ways of Being, Knowing and Doing.[5]
On September 7, 2021, Ottmann became the tenth president of the First Nations University of Canada, succeeding interim president Bob Kayseas.[1] She is the first woman to permanently hold the position.[2] In 2025, an internal investigation found Ottmann had engaged in nepotism, mismanagement and ‘empire building’ at First Nations University of Canada.[6]
