Denise Johnson Stovall had a long professional journalism career. It included working as a reporter for the Atlanta Daily World Newspaper, commercial operations writer for WAGA-TV 5 and WXIA TV 11 ALIVE, news writer for WSB Radio, and sports assistant at WTBS (Turner Broadcasting System). She joined the staff of The United Methodist Reporter Newspaper as a reporter. She was soon promoted to become the Reporter’s first African American Associate Editor and was its first Director of Corporate Communications. Denise received several awards for her stories about people of faith, especially those of the African Diaspora. She was a free-lance writer for United Methodist News Service based in Nashville and Response Magazine, the national publication for United Methodist Women based in New York City. She was co-author of Faithfully Yours published by the United Methodist Reporter, and Send Me? The Itinerancy in Crisis, published by the United Methodist Publishing House. She also co-authored Poverty, edited by Jack A. Keller, Jr.; the book was a 2012 mission study book published by the Women’s Division of The United Methodist Church.

In addition to her professional employment within the United Methodist Church, Denise consistently volunteered her leadership and communication skills to advance the mission of the church. She was dedicated to spreading the news about mission work of the UMC, and she travelled extensively to gather first-hand information. Her travels as a writer for the church took her to Brazil, Mexico, The Philippines, Puerto Rico, and eight African nations, as well as domestically throughout the United States. Denise died on January 19, 2016.