Denise joined PSR-LA in 2004 as the Director of Development and became Associate Director in 2008. Denise directs our Nuclear Threats program, which advocates for nuclear weapons abolition and policies that prevent exposure to radioactive waste and contamination. Locally, that means leading PSR-LA’s efforts to fully clean up the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL), a contaminated nuclear and rocket-engine testing site located just 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Denise also leads PSR-LA’s participation in Back from the Brink, a national grassroots campaign that brings communities together to abolish nuclear weapons.

Denise’s passion for nuclear abolition nuclear began during her early days at PSR-LA, when she was moved by hibakusha (survivors of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki atomic bombings) who shared painful stories about their experiences in a plea to abolish nuclear weapons so that no one else has to suffers as they have. She is also deeply inspired by parents and community members whose health has been impacted by exposure to SSFL contaminants. They are fighting for the cleanup to prevent harm to others in their community.

Denise is a board member of the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, a national network of organizations that works to address issues of nuclear weapons production and waste cleanup. She earned her BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan and MA from California State University Los Angeles in Theatre Arts and Dance.