Rev. Dr. Grace Kaori Suzuki, D.Min (she/her), is delighted to join the staff of the Presbytery of San Francisco as the part-time Bridge Transitional Executive. She is looking forward to working with the Committee on Ministry and its sub-committees until the end of January, 2025.
Grace Kaori (her full first name!) was born in Japan and grew up in both Japan and the U.S. She is grateful for her experience of being bilingual and bicultural, which has shaped her identity and greatly affects her perspective in ministry. Enjoying engaging in upper governing body ministries of the Presbyterian Church (USA), she has served on various committees of the Presbytery of San Francisco, including the Committee on the Preparation for Ministry, Healthy Congregations, and several Administrative Commissions. She has recently served as co-moderator of the Presbytery of San Francisco.
After receiving her B.M and M.M from the SF Conservatory of Music, Grace Kaori went to seminary at San Francisco Theological Seminary (University of Redlands, Graduate School of Theology) where she received her M.Div. She received her doctorate degree from the same school (SFTS) with an emphasis on executive leadership. She is an adjunct faculty for SFTS and McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago.
She currently lives in San Francisco with her husband, and has the opportunity to navigate being the mom to two young-adult daughters. When she is not doing presbytery work, she can be found at Christ United Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, CA, where she has served as the pastor/head of staff since 2004.
