Nancy Granger was delighted to join the staff of St. James Cathedral Parish in May 2013 as the director of the Mental Health Ministry. 

Nancy was ‘born and bred ‘ in The Bronx,  and was educated in New York, receiving a Bachelor of Science  in Nursing from Lehman College of the City University of New York and a Master of Science in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing from Columbia University.  Over the course of her 26 years in the mental health field, she has worked in 5 psychiatric hospitals. For the past 12 years she was a Care Manager in Group Health’s Outpatient Behavioral Health Department.   In between she enjoyed twelve years as a stay at home mom, her favorite job of all.

Nancy and Tom have four wonderful daughters, three Seattle University graduates and one Northeastern University alum who all thankfully live in the Seattle area.  Influenced by Tom’s work with Habitat for Humanity, Nancy shares his deep passion for the mission of this organization and has helped build homes in Haiti, Guatemala, Nepal, India, Paraguay and Thailand. Besides traveling, Nancy enjoys yoga, rollerblading, attending out door summer concerts, walking, singing in the Gospel Choir at St. Jude Parish, and working in her ever -expanding garden.   Her favorite vegetable is Brussels sprouts which she plants every year.

Now living in the Seattle area for 18 years, she feels quite at home and is continually astounded by the natural beauty of the northwest.  Nancy does miss the warm summers and vibrant autumns of the east coast; however she vividly remembers the seventeen snow storms she shoveled through the winter preceding the family’s move from Ridgewood, New Jersey to Woodinville. 

Nancy is passionate about ‘busting the stigma’ of mental illness and has aligned herself with organizations such as NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and DBSA (Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance).  She takes very seriously the charge of educating the general population about mental illness.  She applauds St. James Cathedral Parish for their leadership in this area, particularly their extensive outreach programs for the vulnerable and marginalized.

Nancy extends gratitude to the original creator of the Mental Health Ministry, Beth Rose, for establishing a strong program in 2011, and interim Director, Rick Martin, for his unending patience and for an impressive job of keeping this vital ministry alive and well.