Mary Saou (rhymes with “ya-hoo”) is thrilled to join the Platte Woods team! A Kansas City native, she’s lived in Texas, Tennessee, Florida (go Noles!), North Carolina, and the Bahamas all before landing back home in 2015. While she lived south of the river as a child, she’s come to realize that the Northland really is the place to be.

Mary graduated with her MACP from Duke Divinity School in 2015 and holds a BM in Vocal Performance from Florida State. She was ordained as a Deacon in the UMC in 2022. Ask her about being a Deacon sometime— she loves to talk about the unique role they have in bridging the church and world! She serves on the NW District Committee on Ministry, interviewing and encouraging people discerning their call. She also serves the Missouri Annual Conference on the Board of Ordained Ministries, which includes her role as the Chair of the Order of Deacons.

Mary’s home is filled with a bunch of boys: husband Mike, sons Noah (born in 2012) and Judah (born in 2015). During covid they convinced her video games were fun, and now she’s as much of a gamer as they are. A regular Saturday morning includes a family walk to the donut shop and watching English Premier League soccer games. She also enjoys reading, thoughtful conversations, wearing pajamas, cherry limeades, and watching FRIENDS reruns.!