ABOUT ELEVATING LEGACIES
Our Story
Elevating Legacies is an educational consulting organization providing professional development and strategic support to educational leaders and mission-driven organizations. We specialize in museum-based learning, leadership development, and transformational learning design.
Our work is grounded in the belief that sustainable change emerges when communities unite around shared purpose and are equipped with rigorous tools for transformation. By supporting mission-driven leaders committed to work that matters, we create an interconnected ecosystem of changemakers whose impact resonates across generations.
Our Founder
Dr. Denise Davis-Cotton brings over 40 years of expertise as a champion of inclusive excellence in arts-integrated education and educational leadership. As founder and fisrt principal of Detroit School of Arts, she created innovative programs serving thousands of students through culturally inclusive, arts-integrated learning.
Her career includes extensive experience in museum-based professional development, curriculum design, and leadership development for superintendents and district leaders. She has partnered with cultural institutions across the country to help educators engage with primary sources and complex histories, deepening understanding of how historical contexts shape contemporary educational experiences.
Through Elevating Legacies, she provides independent consulting and professional development services to educational organizations nationally.
Our Approach
We believe the world can be made better through education. Therefore, sustainable change emerges when communities of practice unite around shared purpose and are equipped with rigorous tools and ongoing support to transform vision into action. Our work is grounded in scholarship, responsive to context, and focused on measurable impact.
We partner with leaders throughout their journey—not just delivering recommendations—helping them build capacity and create lasting improvements in their organizations and communities.
Founder & Executive Director
Dr. Denise Davis-Cotton is an educational leader and consultant with over 40 years of experience in arts-based education, museum partnerships, and leadership development.
As founder of Detroit School of Arts, she established innovative programs integrating arts education with academic excellence, serving thousands of students and establishing a model for culturally inclusive, arts-integrated learning. Her work demonstrated how centering students' cultural identities and creative expression can transform educational outcomes and community engagement.
Her career includes extensive experience in educational research and professional development design, with particular expertise in museum-based learning, equity-centered curriculum, and leadership development for superintendents and district leaders. She has designed multi-year cohort models bringing educators into partnership with museums and cultural institutions to deepen understanding of complex histories and develop more culturally responsive practices.
Dr. Davis-Cotton's work is grounded in the belief that all students deserve access to high-quality, culturally affirming education, and that educational leaders need sustained, rigorous support to create the conditions for all students to thrive.
Areas of Expertise:
Arts-integrated education and culturally inclusive pedagogy
Museum-based professional development and historical inquiry
Educational leadership development and strategic planning
Curriculum and professional development design
Facilitation of complex organizational change
Partnership development with cultural institutions