Denise is a community-engaged leader dedicated to improving systems through evidence and collaboration.

Denise is committed to strengthening organizations through rigorous, participatory evaluation.

An experienced public health strategist, Denise has spent more than two decades strengthening public health systems through rigorous research, evaluation, and community‑engaged methods. Beginning her career in adolescent risk reduction, she later trained in community‑based participatory research at the University of Maryland, College Park, expanding her focus to the social and structural drivers of health. Her work in community epidemiology and patient experience positioned her as a trusted leader across local health and social service systems, known for transforming complex, multi‑stakeholder environments into coordinated, high‑functioning systems.

A collaborative leader by instinct and practice, Denise brings partners together, elevates diverse perspectives, and co‑creates solutions that endure. Colleagues describe her as thoughtful, diplomatic, and deeply team‑oriented—someone who builds trust quickly and creates the conditions for others to excel. Whether directing a PCORI evaluation, managing a seven‑day‑a‑week production team, or coordinating 13 organizations on a major federal IDIQ, she leads with clarity, empathy, and a steady commitment to shared success.

Her work is marked by innovation, initiative, and a deep commitment to equity. She has designed mixed‑methods studies, led rapid‑turnaround qualitative analyses, developed operational processes adopted by clients, and created tools that improve data quality and efficiency. Through her leadership on NORC’s Model for Integrating Equitable Research Methods into Contract Research and her work with PCORI and the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, she has championed approaches that center lived experience and strengthen the relevance of research for the communities it is meant to serve.