At ASU, Dennis serves as a part-time Faculty Associate in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. Professionally, Dennis serves as the Associate Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation Liaison Officer at Mesa Community College, where he leads college efforts in data analytics, strategic and operational planning, and college accreditation. He has over 14 years of experience in the institutional research and effectiveness field in the community college setting and has diverse experience in data visualization for practical decision-making using Tableau. Dennis is passionate about using data to improve student success, illuminate inequities, and make MCC a better place to work. His work is motivated by the belief that education is the pathway to a better future and that continuous improvement through data use can help colleges increase student success and address systemic inequities in pursuit of that better future for all.
Additionally, Dennis is a first-generation college graduate with a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) from Arizona State University (ASU), a master's degree in public administration from Valdosta State University, and dual bachelor's degrees in English literature and journalism from ASU. Previously, he has served as an adjunct faculty member in the MCC English department and has been a tutor of both writing and statistics. His current research interests include data use in higher education, employee perceptions of data use, equity-mindedness, equity-minded data use, employee data literacy, higher educational leadership, and higher education policy.