Dr. O’Tuel earned a degree in English from Saint Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, North Carolina; a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Alabama; and a Ph.D. in counselor education and psychology from the University of South Carolina.

She has been a teacher at all levels from elementary through university. She was director of guidance in Columbia, South Carolina schools and director of psychological services and staff development in the Summerville schools near Charleston, South Carolina, where she was also a practicing psychologist. Most recently, Dr. O’Tuel was assistant to the superintendent of schools in the Myrtle Beach area, one of South Carolina’s largest and fastest growing school districts.