After a successful career in Business Management, Dena pursued her passion for education, earning her Master's Degree in Elementary Education. Utilizing her TESOL endorsement, she taught in NM for 10 years, also attending specialty classes in Dyslexia therapy. She continued her teaching for 3 more years in Vermont, where she learned the specifics of trauma-sensitive education while teaching in a high poverty district.

Joyell has had a 20 year career in Special Education, with an emphasis on severe and profound disabilities. She has a vast knowledge of how to reach students, and the need for them to have a place to escape but still learn. She has acted as a consultant throughout NM, advocating for the needs of students, and how to successfully implement student-centered special education programs.