Dennis has spent 44 years in television news. He has served as news director for WLBT since 1989. From 1984-1989, he served as investigative reporter, managing editor, and assignment editor for WLBT.
In 1974, he created Probe, a weekly investigative half hour documentary for WLBT. In 1976, the program won the George Foster Peabody Award for ‘Power Politics in Mississippi', a profile of state Senator Bill Burgin's conflict of interest.
Probe also received several other national broadcasting awards.
He has previously served either as news director, news anchor, or reporter for KATC-TV in Lafayette, WWL-TV in New Orleans and WJTV in Jackson.
Dennis has a Juris Doctorate degree from Mississippi College School of Law as well as an honorary Master of Laws. He is a member of the Mississippi Bar Association and a Bagehot Fellow in Economics and Business Journalism from Columbia University.
He received his B.S. in Business from Mississippi College. He is a graduate of Jackson's Provine High School and received his A.A. degree from Hinds Jr. College.
He retired from the Mississippi Army National Guard in January 2007 at the rank of Colonel with nearly 27 years of service and 6 overseas reserve deployments. His last position was Command Historian for Joint Force Headquarters.
He has received the Meritorious Service Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Army Commendation Medal , the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, 2 awards , the Mississippi Magnolia Cross, the Mississippi Magnolia Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster, and the Mississippi War Medal, 2 awards.
He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. In 2004, he was in charge of the U.S. Army Media Center at the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach which credentialed over 1,000 members of the media for the 60th anniversary of the Normandy invasion.
He has received the Marvin Reuben Editorial Award from the Mississippi Association of Broadcasters in 1995, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2009.
He served as a member of the Mississippi Supreme Court Committee on Cameras in the Courts.
He is a founding board member and former president of Mississippi Center for Freedom of Information. He is also a former president of Keep Jackson Beautiful.
He currently sits on the board of directors of Operation Shoestring. He also serves on the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission.
WLBT 3 - Fox 40
