Dennis joined the MUSE community as the middle and high school director in 2013. He received his B.A. in early childhood education from Ryerson University, and an M.A. in child development from Tufts University. He completed a doctorate in educational leadership and organization from the University of Pennsylvania. His dissertation research focus examined the link between school and community and its influence on student outcomes. Dennis is an accomplished educational leader with more than 20 years of experience managing, leading, implementing, and evaluating programs and practice in a diversity of educational contexts.

Dennis began his career in education working with teen mothers of color and their preschoolers with an emphasis on supporting early childhood development and improving life opportunities for the mothers. He later taught elementary and middle school in traditional public schools and a progressive independent school. Dennis left the classroom to pursue work in the nonprofit education arena, co-founding a financial literacy program serving underserved students from ages 8-14. Subsequently, he worked as a policy maker at the local, state, and federal level on issues related to equity, access, and quality in the traditional and public charter school sectors.

Dennis’ career has been driven by a fierce urgency to address the structural inequities of educational delivery, to explore new educational models, and to improve life options for students of color.