Term Ends: December 2026
Biography
Denise Thornton was appointed in May of 2024 to fill the vacant council seat following the resignation of Marie Potter. Denise is a graduate of Norwich University where she majored in criminal justice. She has focused her professional career on the safety of Morris County residents for the past 22 years. Starting her career as a police dispatcher and later rising through the ranks to be a Detective Captain in the Morris County Sheriff's Office; Denise has been involved with policy and procedure development and numerous community relation programs including Project Lifesaver, and the Hope One Advisory Board. She has led teams through two international CALEA accreditations and has been a member of the Morris County Sheriff’s Honor Guard for 18 years. She is a graduate and instructor of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police Command and Leadership program and currently commands the Criminal Investigations Division which offers support to Morris County’s 39 municipalities. Her community involvement extends to serving as President of the Randolph Township Library Board of Trustees, Vice President of the Ironia Fire Co. 4's Ladies Auxiliary, coaching boys basketball, and being a lector at St. Matthew the Apostle Church. Denise and her husband, Scott, live in the Ironia section of the township with their two children, Jayson and Elizabeth.