Incoming UW President Michael Young gets married

With a few hours to spare between meetings on Friday, Michael Young stepped out onto the deck of the University of Washington's presidential mansion and got married.

With just family and a few friends present, Marti Denkers, of Salt Lake City, became Marti Young, wife of the incoming president of the University of Washington.

Both divorced last year. Young, 38, called her husband "completely hypnotic — everybody feels that way about him. I wanted to marry him right out of the gate."

The wife of the UW president often plays a prominent role in Seattle social circles, especially since fundraising is a primary job for the president, and big donors must be courted. Young said she'd "like to be involved as much as is useful."

"I'm pretty sure I'm just contrarian enough to keep my head above water," she added.

The couple visited Seattle several times while her husband was being considered for the university position, Marti Young said. On their first visit, they went everywhere on foot — through Seattle's neighborhoods, around downtown, into the Arboretum — and "we knew instantly this could be a riot," she said of living in Seattle.

"People are so nice, and low-key, and they care about things like sculpture gardens," she said. "And everybody's out, even in the rain."

Joining the wedding party were Michael Young's three adult children and four grandchildren. Marti Young said her husband's family is especially close, and he talks to his children and grandchildren almost every day by phone or Skype.

The Youngs were allowed to use the mansion for the wedding free of charge because Michael Young has done some work for the school before his starting date, said UW spokesman Norm Arkans. As part of the contract, they must live at the presidential mansion, Hill-Crest, on a 1.5-acre estate that overlooks Lake Washington.

Under Young's contract, the UW promises to pay Michael Young's business expenses, travel and entertainment, and also pay "the reasonable travel and entertainment expenses of Mr. Young's spouse when she is traveling or entertaining for University business." The provision is a standard part of such contracts and was part of the contract that was approved in May. The previous president, Mark Emmert, had a similar provision for his wife in his contract.

Marti Young is 12 credit-hours away from finishing her bachelor's degree at the University of Utah, where she is majoring in human development. She is interested in social-policy issues and how people relate to the elderly and aging populations. She hasn't decided if she'll try to finish the degree here: "People keep making the joke, 'If I can get in,' " she said.

She has a 16-year-old son, Michael, who will be coming to live with them at the mansion, and he's "kind of my full-time job," she said. So, too, is supporting her husband in his new role, she said.

Marti Young said she's enthusiastic about getting out into the outdoors around Seattle. She likes to run trails, while "Mike can cover some serious ground hiking." The two of them also like to ski and bicycle. Michael Young, who is 61, rides a Harley, but she prefers a much lighter Honda: "I ride it a lot to commute — Mike is more of a weekend warrior." The couple also owns two wild mustangs adopted from the Bureau of Land Management.

Michael Young begins his job as UW president July 5. The Youngs will begin moving into the mansion in mid-June.

Katherine Long: 206-464-2219 or klong@seattletimes.com