Denise was born and raised in upstate New York. She is the youngest of three sisters. She received her A.S. at SUNY Orange and went on to receive her B.A. in English at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. After working in Edinburgh, Scotland on a visa, Denise and her spouse moved to Bellingham, WA in 1999 and they have been living on the west coast ever since. They lived in Berkeley, CA for seven years while her spouse was attending a doctoral program and moved to Portland, OR in 2012.

Denise began working at Tucker Maxon in Fall 2022. She brings over fourteen years’ experience working with preschool through fifth grade students in both a professional and volunteer capacity, and she has five years’ experience being a lead preschool teacher. Prior to working in education, Denise worked as a human resource assistant/payroll clerk, accounting assistant, and in food service.

Denise lives in Southeast Portland with her husband, daughter, son, dog, two cats, and a bearded dragon. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, being outside in the beautiful NW, walking the dog, and taking photographs.