Denise J. Bennett, MA, is a technical assistance (TA) specialist and a member of the web team with the Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center within the Trohanis Technical Assistance Projects at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG).

Her career in communications, public relations, and cultural diversity has spanned more than 35 years in the non-profit, private, public, and governmental sectors, including serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin West Africa as a rural community health worker. While in West Africa, she also created and delivered cultural diversity training workshops for Peace Corps Volunteers and Peace Corps staff in Benin and Ghana.

We recently spoke with Bennett about her work at FPG and here’s what she had to say.

Tell us a bit about your professional journey—what brought you to FPG?
I’m a UNC School of Journalism graduate and I’ve worked in communications across many sectors. After my stint with the Peace Corps in West Africa, I began working with the North Carolina Division of Public Health’s Early Intervention Branch. During my 17 years there, I worked with ECTA Center staff on various projects. I was overjoyed when a position became available since I’d had a good working relationship with them over the years.

Describe a typical workday and tell us about the projects you're currently working on.
I don’t know that I have a typical day. I’m a member of the web team so I’m always working with colleagues on getting their products developed and ready for the website. I have some on-going projects such as compiling ECTA’s monthly publication, eNotes, and as a technical assistant specialist to Part C coordinators in their racial equity learning community. I also provide TA to states’ interagency coordinating councils, which bring together policy makers, service providers, and parents of children with developmental disabilities.

What do you like most about your job?
Mainly the great group of people I get to work with. I started with ECTA a couple of days before UNC shut down from the pandemic. So, I was a little concerned about how I’d fit in and connect with people―but that hasn’t been an issue. That’s a testament to everyone’s commitment to the work we do and willingness to work together.

What do you find most challenging?
It’s always challenging to take the very technical information and concepts we deal with and present them in ways that people can make the best use of. Society has become so accustomed to receiving information in sound bites. Therefore, if we want our audiences to fully engage with our information, we must be concise and succinct. So, it becomes a balancing act between giving them the information they need and presenting it as concisely as possible.

How does your work further the mission of FPG?
When I first started working in early intervention, I had a photo on my wall of a child in our Infant Toddler Program. She’d posed for our promotional campaign. Whenever I was editing or writing a document, that photo would prompt me to keep her and her family in mind. My work furthers FPG’s mission by helping ensure our product messages are clear and responsive by always keeping our ultimate audience―children and families―in mind.

Tell us about your biggest professional achievement since coming to FPG.
I’m most proud of my work on FPG’s 50th celebration of excellence in technical assistance. There was such a collaborative and synergistic spirit in working on that project. Although there were a lot of folks involved, we all came to the table without a preconceived idea of what the celebration should look like, so all ideas were welcomed. I also learned a lot about FPG’s history during my research. Having Judy Heumann as a keynote for the celebration was a tremendous highlight for me as I know it was for everyone else.