Aloha
Denise Nussbaum, author ,earned her Ph.D. in sociology in 1999 and went on to serve as a Professor and Department Chair at Mt. San Jacinto College for 22 years. During her tenure, she taught and mentored hundreds of students in critical thinking, focusing on topics like social inequalities, prejudice, and the lasting impact of trauma.
The Ashes Know Her Name is Dr. Nussbaum's debut novel. It is a powerful blend of global thriller and emotional reckoning that reflects her lifelong commitment to understanding the forces that bind and break us.
My Story
Dr. Denise “Neesey” Nussbaum is an author, sociologist, designer, and community advocate whose work is driven by a lifelong fascination with what shapes human lives—power, belonging, trauma, resilience, and the choices people make under pressure. She earned her Ph.D. in Sociology in 1999 and spent more than two decades at Mt. San Jacinto College in Southern California, serving as a Professor and Department Chair while teaching and mentoring hundreds of students. Her classroom focus on critical thinking—especially around social inequality, prejudice, and the enduring impact of trauma—continues to inform her storytelling and her public work.
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Her debut novel, The Ashes Know Her Name, brings that lens to the page as a gripping blend of global thriller and emotional reckoning. With a scholar’s eye and a novelist’s instinct, Dr. Nussbaum explores the forces that bind and break us, crafting suspense that’s grounded in real-world social dynamics and the hidden costs of survival.
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Beyond writing and academia, Nussbaum has returned to a first love: design. A student of design since childhood, she was drawn back to interiors in 2014 while creating her family’s dream home in HawaiÊ»i—an experience that sparked the founding of Neesey Designs, now a thriving interior design business on Maui. After studying at the New York Institute of Art and Design, she developed a signature style that pairs organic coastal ease with modern luxury, often collaborating with local artisans and craftspeople to create custom, place-rooted spaces.
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Denise also serves her community through Aloha Ranch, founded in 2019 to support houseless and vulnerable families in West Maui. With over 40 years of experience working alongside marginalized populations, she leads with compassion, pragmatism, and a deep commitment to rebuilding lives—on the page and beyond it.