Candidate · NM Public Education
Commission · District 3
A physicist and New Mexican bringing data-driven, evidence-based thinking to the future of our schools. Science, accountability, and real results for every student.
Dennis Dinge is a physicist whose career spans industry, national laboratories, and academia — with research experience in supercomputing, astronomy, and computational fluid dynamics. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and M.S. in Physics from Clemson University, and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from UNC Chapel Hill.
Dennis has been involved in New Mexico politics throughout his adult life, including a 2017 run for Congress. He and his wife were foster parents for eight years and have actively advocated for reforms to New Mexico's foster care system.
Dennis serves as Secretary of the New Mexico Forward Party and is running for Public Education Commission District 3 to bring data-driven, evidence-based thinking to the future of New Mexico's schools.
After years of hard work inside the Democratic Party, Dennis came to believe that real progress requires breaking the two-party stranglehold that divides the country. The Forward Party offers a practical, problem-solving alternative — competitive everywhere, beholden to no one.
As a scientist, Dennis applies the same standard to politics that he does to research: look at the evidence, follow the data, and don't let ideology get in the way of results.
New Mexico needs to leverage its many successful charter schools to improve education as a whole for all public school students. The following priorities represent a commitment to accountability, evidence-based practices, and equitable access.
Evaluate new and existing charter schools to ensure they meet the diverse educational needs of NM students. Exercise state-level authority to intervene directly in schools showing inadequate progress toward equitable, culturally relevant education.
Identify high-quality, evidence-based curricula that can increase test scores and close the skills gap across the broader NM Public Schools system.
Identify policies, teacher compensation, and evaluation structures that help NM Public Schools recruit and retain high-quality educators — and give classroom professionals the tools and support they need to succeed.
Investigate learning and community support models that provide underprivileged students with the tools for academic success. Evaluate community school models, summer programs, and specialized tutoring to create data-driven solutions.
Expand access to early childhood education and build essential bridges between Preschool Providers and Public Charter Schools — so families understand their choices and children arrive ready to learn.
Like all public schools, charter schools must satisfy the requirements of the Martinez/Yazzie court ruling, which found that the state failed to meet its constitutional obligation to provide uniform and sufficient education for all students. This failure was found to be particularly dire amongst students experiencing poverty, Native American students, English learners, and those with disabilities. Charter schools should implement policies that address the spirit — not just satisfy the letter — of this ruling.
Dennis grew up on a farm in rural South Carolina. His father was a Naval officer; his mother, the daughter of a local farmer. Raised by a village of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, he hunted, fished, and learned to avoid alligators. When he was six, he told a cousin he was going to be a scientist like Mr. Spock. In high school, he played on state championship football and baseball teams and was voted most likely to succeed.
Dennis attended Clemson University, earning a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Physics, graduating with honors. He was deeply engaged in campus life: Air Force ROTC, the honors program, Sigma Chi, and the weightlifting club. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from UNC Chapel Hill, specializing in supercomputing as a research tool for studying the cosmos.
Dennis's career has lived at the intersection of physics and supercomputing — with published papers in radiation effects physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics, and high-performance computing. He has used machine learning in his research, giving him a stronger grasp of technical and scientific issues than almost anyone running for public office in New Mexico today.
Dennis has lived in Albuquerque since 2006. He met his wife Rhea — a former public high school science teacher and educator for the water authority — on a hike in the Sandia Mountains. They married in 2014. He became stepfather to Diego and Milo and is also the proud father of Andrea. When he's not doing science or politics, he's hiking, hunting, biking, or camping somewhere in this state he loves.
Every contribution helps Dennis reach more voters across District 3. This campaign runs on grassroots support — no corporate PACs, no party machines.
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