Her Story
About Denise
I've been in education for about 25 years, and it's been a wonderful journey. I started with an aftercare program, and then I worked through a couple different positions where I worked with youth leadership, I worked at a university, I taught 8th grade, and I teach now at University of Maryland College Park. I think I'm making an impact - a lot of people know me and respect me, and I respect my values. Currently, I'm more of an education consultant. I used to work at the Department of Education in the federal government, but now my day-to-day life looks like I'm looking at proposals, submitting my resume for different contracts, reviewing some of the work that I get through the contracts, and making either an analysis or recommendations or commenting on the work. I also teach, and that involves lesson planning, grading papers, and finding great ways to engage my students for the class. In addition to that, I do a lot of advocacy work on different policy initiatives to bring forth to any of the boards that I'm on, just trying to make life and education better for students and help them with their college and career choices.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Denise
01What do you attribute your success to?
Well, not only because I believe in God and am God-fearing, but also because I kind of take what I do seriously, so I do my research, I learn my craft, and I make sure that I collaborate with other people. I think that's important. Collaboration is definitely important.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received was from my mother. Whatever I choose to do, just be the best. And so that's what I strive to do - be the best and be authentic with all that I do.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say look at the different aspects of education, because it's not just teaching. There's being an administrator, there's so many ways that you can be involved in education, and just find a way that kind of you fit in. There's like education law, there's education policy. So just like first explore education and the different facets, and then find where you fit in, and the people, and find your tribe, too.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
With education consulting, you kind of have to search out the opportunities and connect with a lot of different people. With the climate of the country, with the budget cuts, a lot of places that would normally have the education consultant contracts, they're cutting back. So I just have to find the right connections and make the right connections, because people still need the services - schools and districts and states, they still need the services - I just have to connect with the people that hold the purse and connect with them to help them in the industry. So that's been a little bit time-consuming to go through the RFPs, or look for RFPs, write the RFPs, and like I said, connect with the people that hold the purse.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I really strive to be caring, compassionate, and empathetic. And so I try to instill that when I talk to others and make sure that that exudes in just the work that I do.
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