Denise Plowman is a 6th degree black belt under the instruction of Senior Master John Sepulveda in the Advanced Kenpo Training System. Her Kenpo training began in 1994 under the instruction of Mr. Steve Moore at the newly-opened Boise Kenpo Karate school. She was promoted to 1st Degree Black Belt under the American Kenpo Karate System at the Jeff Speakman camp in 1998. She was the first woman to be promoted to black belt in a Kenpo organization in the state of Idaho at that time.
In 1999 Mr. Steven Moore decided to pursue his career in law enforcement, and Denise made the decision to take over the Boise Kenpo Karate school. She worked full time at the Veterans Health Administration during the day and managed the school at night and on the weekends during that time. She partnered with other Kenpo schools in the area to put on several seminars, camps, and the biannual Northwest Karate Tournament for many years. She was also an amateur full-contact kickboxing coach and trainer, and she had a handful of fighters who competed in both Idaho and California.
In 2011, due to a promotion in her career which required a lot more travel, Denise made the decision to close the Boise Kenpo Karate school, as she could not provide a full-time commitment to the school or her students. She continued to teach a handful of students out of her garage for a period of time but then took a break from teaching for a couple of years.
In 2017 Denise retired from the Veterans Health Administration after 37 years and recommitted herself to her Kenpo journey. Once again she began teaching students out of her garage and continued her training directly under Mr. John Sepulveda. She also continued to train in Muay Thai at SBG Idaho and has recently begun training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. In 2022, Denise was inducted into the Kenpo Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada.
To this date Denise continues to travel around the country to a variety of schools, camps, and seminars to train. This has provided her the opportunity to learn with some of the best instructors and their students in a variety of Kenpo organizations.