Grants Manager
Denise served for eight years in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), where she worked in the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the Youth Development, Prevention, and Safety Division as a program manager.
Her strengths are improving grants management systems and creating and managing funding streams. She gained extensive experience most recently as a reviewer of grant applications, selection official, and an award-maker. Her experience has given her a unique perspective about what funders are looking for in applications to fund: clearly communicated program goals, objectives, and deliverables, as well as sufficiently detailed budgets.
Denise worked collaboratively with grantees to build their administrative and programmatic capacity to enhance program performance.
Prior to her work with DOJ Denise served as a Legislative Aide in the office of former Congressman Xavier Becerra (D-CA), where she worked with congressional staff, members of Congress, and executive branch staff to track legislation, agency budgets, appropriations, and stakeholders’ opinions on public policy issues. She served as the liaison to multiple stakeholders, including active community organizers in the south and central areas of Los Angeles.
Denise has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and an Undergraduate degree in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park.