Denise joined PSR-LA in 2004 and serves as Associate Director. Denise directs PSR-LA's 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 works to build public and political will for nuclear abolition through local, community-based organizing. 

Denise’s passion for nuclear abolition began during her early days at PSR-LA, when she was moved by hibakusha (survivors of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki atomic bombings) who shared painful personal stories and their desire for no one else to suffer as they have. She is also inspired by community members who've been impacted by exposure to SSFL contaminants and fight for a full cleanup to prevent harm to others in their community. Denise connects PSR-LA's efforts for nuclear weapons abolition and justice for frontline nuclear communities through participation in the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, a national network of organizations formed by communities in the shadow of nuclear weapons facilities. 

Denise earned her BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan and MA from California State University Los Angeles in Theatre Arts and Dance.