Staff
Executive Director
Rev. Mary Hoey and her husband Jim and three daughters, Lesli, Jenny and Heather, moved to Arkansas in 1986. Mary began her life in New Jersey, grew up in Hawaii where her father, a former missionary to the Congo, was a Methodist minister. She 
graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a BA in Sociology. She served 14 years in the jungles of Bolivia as a United Methodist missionary where she met and married Jim, taught in a vocational high school, organized literacy classes, TB clinics and girls clubs, taught Sunday School, and home schooled daughter Lesli for 8 years before adopting a second daughter and becoming pregnant with their third child. Returning to the US to Jim’s home in Pennsylvania and unable to find employment, they learned first hand what it is like to live hand to mouth in a struggling economy. After four years, Jim was hired by Heifer International in Arkansas and the family moved south. Mary received her Masters Degree in ‘Secondary Education from UALR and taught Spanish in Little Rock’s Garland Elementary and Dunbar Junior High School for 11 years. During that time, she felt a calling to return to fulltime ministry, and after studying at Perkins School of Theology at SMU in Dallas, Texas, became a Deacon in the United Methodist Church. She served 7 years as the Associate Pastor at First United Methodist Church in North Little Rock and 1 year at Bryant First United Methodist Church. Mary and Jim are also the proud grandparents of Aaliyah Michelle.
As the Executive Director of Butterfly Community Ministries, Mary combines her years of pastoring, her compassion and heart to work with and on behalf of the Hispanic community, and those whom we consider to be the “least, the lost and the lonely” in our society – with her years of cross cultural and teaching experience. She feels honored to be asked to serve our Hispanic brothers and sisters through Butterfly and looks forward to developing an army of culturally sensitive citizens and volunteer activists.