Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, with six(!) little brothers, Dena was active in national student speech competitions, local theater troupes, and a musical group that performed throughout the United States and Canada.
After attending a two-year broadcasting program in St. Louis, Dena received a scholarship to attend college at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. While working on her degree in Broadcast Journalism and Political Science, Dena anchored the school's daily news program and hosted a weekly lifestyle show. Upon graduating with her B.A., Dena worked at NBC in the Washington D.C. market and spent some time living in London before returning to Malibu to attend law school at Pepperdine. During law school, Dena traveled extensively, competing as a member of the Pepperdine Mock Trial team, which was ranked in the top ten teams in the nation.
Following her graduation from law school, Dena earned a prestigious position as a Deputy District Attorney in Ventura County, California, where she completed more than 40 jury and court trials before taking on supervisory duties, including managing the County's trial calendar.
In 2002, Dena was recruited by the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office to help launch their “Neighborhood Prosecutor Program,” which placed an experienced prosecutor in each of the 21 LAPD stations. Dena was assigned to Central Division, which housed LAPD’s SWAT team and was located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles’s infamous “Skid Row.” In her capacity as Neighborhood Prosecutor / City Attorney, Dena planned and assisted in the execution of task forces, search warrants, and other tactical enforcement; conducted ongoing education programs for officers throughout the department; and oversaw hundreds of complex investigations from first leads through to prosecution and/or litigation.
After working in the trenches of Skid Row for several years, Dena became an internationally recognized expert in homeless policy. She partnered with the California Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Council to establish statewide standards and training for law enforcement response to homelessness, and taught this curriculum to a number of agencies. She spearheaded innovative programs to divert nonviolent homeless individuals out of jail and into appropriate supportive services, and implemented a groundbreaking program that allowed homeless individuals to safely store their treasured belongings. In addition, Dena drafted legislation and testified before the California State Legislature, resulting in the passage of a landmark patient-dumping bill.
Due to her increasing political influence, Dena was recruited to become the Legal Counsel to the Los Angeles City Council. In this capacity, Dena advised 15 councilmembers, each of whom represented an average of 250,000 constituents, and negotiated, on behalf of the City of Los Angeles, a yearly operating budget in excess of $6 billion.
In 2010, Dena and Rodger journeyed to Ethiopia to adopt their son, Clay, and Dena made the decision to become a stay-at-home mom. Two years later, Lyla joined the Carreyn family via domestic open adoption.
Over the last ten years, in addition to being a full-time mom, Dena’s been a passionate advocate for volunteerism and philanthropic pursuits, serving as a Board member / consultant for a variety of nonprofits, including Make-A-Wish, Friends of UW Health, Henry Vilas Zoo, End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, and Roots Ethiopia. Most recently, Dena helped organize and host the “Cheers to 100 Years” fundraising gala, benefiting American Family Children’s Hospital, and the “Wine, Women, & Shoes” event, which raised money for the Carbone Cancer Center.
In early 2020, Dena officially reentered the workforce, embarking on an exciting new chapter as a professional speaker and author. Dena’s website, denacarreyn.com, launched in March, and her debut book, "Roadmap to Resilience: How to Recover, Resile, and Reinvent," is scheduled for release in 2021.
Dena’s emotional and engaging speeches, workshops, and webinars provide valuable insights on the topic of building resiliency, while using specific examples from her life. Her inspiring message of resilience is particularly timely, as Dena's efforts to educate others began shortly before the deadly coronavirus became a global pandemic. Dena hopes to use her expertise to help those experiencing trauma as a result of job loss, death, or other challenges in their personal and/or professional lives.
