Ashley Dennis: A Multifaceted Career in Law, History, and Mental Health
Ashley Dennis embodies a diverse range of expertise, making significant contributions to the fields of law, history, and mental health. Her work showcases a commitment to serving communities through legal counsel, historical research, and mental health support.
Legal Expertise
Ashley Dennis is a lawyer who primarily acts as bond counsel and disclosure counsel to governmental issuers. Representing a variety of clients, from large municipal entities to school and special districts. She works to meet the financing needs of her clients through various transaction structures, including general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, notes, lease purchase financings, certificates of participation, and refundings. A significant portion of her practice is dedicated to assisting both borrowers and lenders with specialty loan structures, including USDA Direct and Guaranteed Loans. She regularly advises issuers on continuing disclosure obligations and related filing requirements.
Ashley is the Chair of the Denver Recruitment Committee and, in such capacity, oversees the Summer Associate Program for the Denver Office. She is also the Co-Chair of the firm’s Women’s Initiative, as well as a long-standing member of the firm’s National Inclusiveness and Diversity Committee.
Scholarly Pursuits in History
Ashley Dennis is also deeply involved in academia, particularly in the areas of African American history, Black women's history, and Black intellectual history. Her research interests lie at the intersection of Black women’s intellectual history, social and political movements, and the history of Black education. Her work explores how and why Black women teachers, librarians, and children’s book authors promoted the study of Black history and culture among children during the mid-twentieth century. She is interested in the relationship between Africa and the African Diaspora, and the causes and solutions to racism.
Currently, Ashley D. Dennis is an Assistant Professor of History at the College of Charleston. She is also the Public History Coordinator of the MA program in History and a faculty affiliate of the African American Studies Program.
Read also: The Life of Ashley Flowers
Her current book manuscript, Intellectual Emancipation: Black Women, Education, and Anti-Blackness in the Age of Jim Crow, explores how and why Black women teachers, librarians, and authors promoted the study of Black history and culture among children during the mid-twentieth century.
Dennis has written a digital tour for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and given tours at Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, and the American Museum of Natural History. She is a Certified Interpretive Guide with the National Association for Interpretation.
Education
- Ph.D. in African American Studies, Northwestern University, 2022
- M.A. in African American Studies, Northwestern University, 2019
- B.A. in History, Hunter College, City University of New York, 2016
Honors and Awards
Ashley Dennis's dedication to her field has been recognized through several honors and awards:
- University of Southern Mississippi Syd Hoff Research Fellowship, 2024
- Washington University in St. Louis Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2022
- Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship, 2021
- History of Education Society Henry Barnard Prize, 2021
- Northwestern Buffett Institute Global Impacts Graduate Fellowship, 2020
- Association of Black Women Historians D.D. Houston Award, 2019
- Black Metropolis Research Consortium Summer Short-Term Fellowship, 2019
- Gilder Lehrman History Scholar Award, 2016
Publications
Ashley Dennis has contributed to the field through several publications:
Book Manuscript: Intellectual Emancipation: Black Women, Education, and Anti-Blackness in the Age of Jim Crow (in progress)
Read also: Multifaceted Exploration of Ashley Lane
Peer-Reviewed Article: “The Intellectual Emancipation of the Negro:” Madeline Morgan and the Mandatory Black History Curriculum in Chicago during World War II, History of Education Quarterly 62, no. 2 (April 2022).
Op-Eds:
- “What the Country’s First Mandatory Black History Course Can Teach Us Today,” Education Week, January 30, 2024.
- “The Black Women Who Launched the Original Anti-Racist Reading List,” Washington Post, June 18, 2020.
Book Reviews:
- Review of From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twentieth-First Century, by William A. Darity and A. Kirsten Mullen, Black Perspectives, October 8, 2020.
- Review of Transforming the Elite: Black Students and the Desegregation of Private Schools, by Michelle A.
Mental Health Services
Ashley Dennis is also a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) who provides comprehensive and compassionate treatment tailored to each individual. She helps navigate complex mental health challenges such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, or mood disorders, such as bipolar spectrum disorders. She is considerate of potential neurodiverse or medically complex needs.
Her approach includes medication monitoring, support, and executive skills training. She ensures every step toward mental wellness is supported with empathy and the expertise of our dedicated team. She aims to create a calm, grounded atmosphere where insight is gently coaxed forward and vulnerability isn’t met with judgment but curiosity.
Read also: Moody's Potential Senate Run
Practice Focus
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Individual one-on-one therapy
Insurance
She accepts various insurance plans, including:
- Aetna
- Anthem
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- BlueCross and BlueShield
- Brighton Health Plan
- Cigna and Evernorth
- Coventry
- Evry Health
- First Health
- Government Employees Health Association (GEHA)
- Health Alliance
- MagnaCare
- Meritain Health
- New Directions | Lucet
- Optum
- Oscar Health
- Oxford
- Premera Blue Cross
- Providence
- Regence
- Sidecar Health
- United Medical Resources (UMR)
- UnitedHealthcare UHC | UBH
tags: #ashley #dennis #education
