Dr. Jessie Owens is a Winter Haven native and life-long music educator. She received her music education degree from Florida A&M University, her master’s degree from NYU, and her doctorate in organizational leadership from NOVA Southeastern University. She taught choral music for Polk County Public Schools for 42 years, during which her choirs received consistently high ratings at choral, solo and ensemble music performance assessments.
Additionally, Owens served as an adjunct professor at Polk State College and Florida A&M University. She is also the founder and director of the J Owens Academy of Fine Arts in Winter Haven at which she continues to share her passion for music with young people. Combined with her time as a public-school teacher, Owens has been a music educator for over 55 years.
She is also the Director of the Sankofa Chorale – a group of singers who passionately present various genres of music, however, their major emphasis is on Negro Spirituals and Classical Music, while preserving the life, heritage, culture, and music of the African diaspora. In addition to her work as a teacher and director, Owens serves as the church organist for the Hurst Chapel AME Church in Winter Haven.
Her affiliations include her membership in the Florida Music Educators Association, the American Choral Directors Association, and the Jewett Alumni Association. She is a life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and a life member of the Florida A & M University Alumni Association. She is a member of the National Association of Negro Musicians, the Polk Arts & Cultural Alliance and the Gospel Music Workshop of America. In 2024, the City of Winter Haven proclaimed October 15 as Jessie Owens Day!
Be First to Comment