About Denise

About Denise

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My family and I moved to College Park in 1975 and have called this city home ever since. For several years, I have been living in the wonderful community of College Park Woods. I worked in the field of Early Childhood Education for approximately thirty years and now run my own educational consultant firm. 

 

I first began my time on the City Council in 2009, where I served for 6 years, including as Mayor Pro Tem. After a term off from the Council, I re-joined in 2017 and am currently serving as Mayor Pro Tem once again. Outside of College Park, I represent our city in various leadership roles including as President of the Maryland Municipal League, on the board of the National League of Cities, a member of the Board of Directors for Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and as Vice-Chair for the College Park City-University Partnership Education Committee. 

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Born and raised in Washington, D.C., I received my undergraduate degree from The State University of New Jersey, Rutgers University and my Masters Degree in Early Childhood from the University of the District of Columbia. 

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While on the City Council, I have created initiatives with our partners such as having local captions streamed during Council Meetings, helped start the Aging in Place Task Force, held a discussion on affordable housing, and created a Youth Advisory Council to name a few. I look forward to serving as Mayor and working on quality-of-life issues, creating a thriving economy, and supporting quality schools.

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As Mayor Pro Tem​

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As Mayor Pro Tem, I’ll work hard to ensure we have strong economic support and resources for our local businesses. Through a collaborative relationship with the Prince George’s County Council, Maryland General Assembly, and University of Maryland, we can bring about strong economic development through tax credits for long-term residents, individuals with electric cars, and other initiatives executed as One College Park and it won’t just stop at that.

 

My guiding principles come down to three: supporting the community through economic development, strategically and empathetically addressing community concerns, and supporting the community by being One College Park. 

 

Community is at the center of the work that I have done and I am excited to continue to build our community as we reach One College Park, together. 

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My Leadership Experience​

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Working with my colleagues this past year taught us a lot about the importance of thinking pro-actively and with an innovative mindset while keeping community interests at the heart of every decision. 

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As we look ahead, I’m excited to continue to work with the rest of my councilmember colleagues to support the community.

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Using my State-wide network and experience will be beneficial for the City, and I plan on utilizing my history of public service to advance our city, maintain our diversity, and propel our efforts to be more economically friendly to all.