Dena Marie

Dena Marie has been teaching Spanish in both university and K-12 settings–across public, independent, and charter institutions–for over 20 years. She specializes in equity-oriented language pedagogies tailored to learners of diverse backgrounds who have unique learning styles. Dena completed a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and English from UC Davis and a master’s degree in Hispanic languages & literatures from UC Berkeley. She is currently finishing a Ph.D. in Hispanic languages & literatures also at UC Berkeley. Dena began teaching Spanish at UC Davis in 2002 and then  taught Spanish at UC Berkeley for 10 years. She also co-directed the UC Berkeley study abroad program in Spain in 2013 and 2014. Following her tenure at Cal, Dena taught Spanish at Head-Royce School for six years. In 2019 she became the Head of the Spanish Department at Orinda Academy and directed the school’s study abroad program. Dena is looking forward to joining the faculty at Black Pine Circle this fall. Outside of academic institutions, she has been running a private Spanish instruction business for 20 years alongside business endeavors in interior design and real estate editorials.