Denise Finley

Math and Science Project Manager
Educational Programs Consultant
Science Specialist

“I get most excited when I see someone take an idea and make it their own, whether it’s students or teachers themselves—when the light bulb goes on.”

Denise brings great enthusiasm and deep experience in the teaching of science to her work—but it’s her willingness to meet educators wherever they are in understanding and practice that distinguishes her approach to professional development. “I like to find out what educators need and give it to them, so they can get where they need to go—recognizing that’s also going to move their students,” she says.

With 22 years as a science teacher for grades five to 12 in the Jefferson County (Kentucky) Public Schools (JCPS), and as science resource teacher for JCPS and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, Denise never expected to leave the classroom. Then, as the first science teacher to participate in the Louisville Writing Project, she discovered that her own ability to reach students got even better with the support of a mentor coach, and she wanted to bring the same guidance and encouragement to other professionals.

At CTL, Denise serves as a coach for schools in the Striving Readers project and the Kentucky Mathematics and Science Partnership project, and as a consultant to our work with the Regional Education Laboratory (REL)-Appalachia, and on teacher preparation re-design with the University of Memphis College of Education.
 
She has also been a consultant to the Louisville Science Center, and received training at the Bronx Zoo in New York and the Lawrence Hall of Science of the University of California, Berkeley, where she participated in the Science Education for the Public Understanding Program (SEPUP). Denise has presented workshops for the Kentucky Science Teachers Association, the Kentucky Association for Gifted Children, the Kentucky Education Technology Conference, the Kentucky Teachers of English Conference, the National Middle School Association, and the Coalition of Essential Schools.
 
Denise is married with a grown son and daughter, and the proud grandmother of two grandchildren.

• Consultant, Louisville Science Center
• Kentucky Odyssey of the Mind Board of Directors
• Master of Science, Secondary Education/Science, University of Louisville
• Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry, Spalding University, Louisville, Kentucky