Previously known to the congregation as Mary Beth, Mel Lasseter, the daughter of Mary Ann Lasseter, has spent the last ten years of her life getting educated. She received her Master of Arts in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi, working on a Ph.D. and finishing all but the dissertation in American Studies from the University of North Carolina and is currently working on her Master of Library Information Science from the University of Denver.

Mary Beth returned to Denver in 2018 accompanied by her cat where she goes to library school. Her interests include critical theory and critical race studies as well as 19th and 20th century southern history, literature, music, and popular culture; Mary Beth has taught American Studies, southern history, African American history, Native American history, southern Jewish history and material culture and folklore undergraduate studies.

Outside of school, she is interested in ice hockey, sewing, knitting and exploring the rural West. During the pandemic, she has organized Zoom spelling bees and games of Dungeons and Dragons. Mary Beth would also like you to know that Denver is great and you should come visit when it is safe.