Denise attended Tuloso-Midway from Pre-K through high school graduation and went on to become a Chemical Engineer from Texas A&M University Kingsville, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Later she earned a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Texas Tech University in Lubbock.

As an oil and gas project manager, Denise has enhanced reliability programs for refineries across the country, revitalized culture amongst her teams, and as a board member on two national S.T.E.M. organizations, she has inspired students at all academic levels to pursue S.T.E.M. careers.

Before her time in the legislature, Denise served on the Tuloso-Midway school board with an emphasis to prioritize student safety, empower parents and teachers in the classroom, and to make sure that the children of today have the same opportunities she had to excel and find quality, good paying jobs in the Coastal Bend. Denise is a member of the Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers, and she is a graduate of Leadership Corpus Christi. She has also been honored by Corpus Christi Under 40 for significant contributions in her professional field as well as service in the community.

For the 89th Legislative Session, her first, Denise serves on the Appropriations, Natural Resources, and Local & Consent Calendars committees. Denise and her husband, Ruben, who is also a Chemical Engineer, became foster parents in 2023. Together, they live in Corpus Christi with their son, Ezekiel.