Mary Samar
Funding Navigator Manager
Mary is a National Funding Navigator Manager with EPIC. She brings a background in water conservation program management and community outreach to her role. Before joining the team, Mary worked in drought-stricken states where she championed innovative and accessible water use efficiency strategies. Her professional background includes conducting research on how the agriculture sector in central Arizona responds to water shortages linked to drought planning on the Colorado River. Mary earned her BA in English Literature with double minors in Environmental Sustainability and Nutrition and Food Science from Georgia Southern University, as well as a MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Northern Arizona University.
Get to Know Me Further
My passion for promoting wise water use can be traced back to my childhood outside of Philadelphia, where I often pestered my family to turn off the faucet while brushing their teeth. Growing up with access to clean, abundant water instilled in me a deep appreciation for the resource and drive toward conservation. It was falling in love with Arizona’s desert creeks during graduate school that cemented this for me. Whether perched on a rock in Oak Creek, Sedona, or paddleboarding through East Clear Creek in Winslow, I found myself drawn to the stunning waterways. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of working with water utilities at the city and county levels in Arizona and California. I focused on sustainable water programming, offering resources to support individuals and entities in making wise water use a reality. In my spare time, I am a yoga teacher, I practice reiki and mantra meditation, I love to dance the days away at music festivals, work on embroidery projects, thrift for treasures, tend to my family of house plants, travel, and I will take any and every opportunity to hop on a paddleboard!