[4] She was appointed Secretary of State by Governor Bill Owens and succeeded Donetta Davidson.
Dennis began her career by being elected to the Colorado Senate in 1994, representing District 5, which at the time included all or parts of Pueblo, Huerfano, Las Animas Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache and Custer counties.
She was re-elected in 1998 but resigned about halfway through her second term to accept a position in the Bush Administration.
She served as the Colorado State Director of USDA Rural Development.
[5] Next, she served as Senior Manager of External Affairs for Tri-State Generation and Transmission.