Board of Directors

1st Vice President

Julie Schirmer, LCSW
Term ends 2022

Julie Schirmer, LCSW is a behavioral health and curriculum consultant on a Preventative Medicine Enhancement for Maine (PrevME) HRSA grant with the Maine Medical Center (MMC) Department of Family Medicine. She recently retired from her 20+ year position as a behavioral science faculty at the MMC Family Medicine Residency Program and more recent position as Assistance Director of the Family Medicine Clerkship for Tufts School of Medicine/Maine Track Program.

She has taught, consulted and held academic leadership positions on regional, national and international levels, authoring multiple articles, chapters and an edited book " Behavioral Health is Primary Care: A Global Perspective. Julie has been actively involved with Maine Providers Stand Up for Health Care and believes that by collaborating with other like-minded individuals and policy makers, we can improve the health and well-being of our clients, our communities and ourselves.

She has been a member of NASW for over 40 years and was co-chair of the Committee on Women’s issues for the state prior to the birth of her 35 and 33-year-old daughters.

At-Large 1

Jenna Mehnert, MSW
Term ends 2022

Jenna Mehnert, MSW, serves as executive director of the Maine Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.  Responsible for guiding all program operations, Jenna also operates as the agency’s lobbyist and chief advocate. Having devoted the past 30 years worked in the fields of child welfare, juvenile justice, rape crisis, domestic violence, substance use, mental health and criminal justice, Jenna’s career has focused on building responsive services and more impactful systems for underserved populations.

Jenna has held three politically appointed positions and run two non-profit entities prior to starting with NAMI Maine in 2013.  Immediately before returning home to Maine, Jenna spent six years running the Pennsylvania Chapter of NASW and seven years as adjunct social work faculty for Temple University.

Jenna is a graduate of Westtown School and the University of Southern Maine. In addition to holding an MSW degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Jenna is a results-based accountability fellow with the JT Gorman Foundation.

At-Large 2

(vacant; term years 2020-2023)

At-Large 3

(vacant; term years 2021-2024)

Branch A

Mara Larkin LCSW
Term ends 2022

Mara Larkin, LCSW and a Certified Case Manager (CCM), currently works for Maine Medical Center where she leads a team of 18 MSWs within medical inpatient units. Mara has previous experience working with immigrants and refugees, managing Interpreter services and Cultural Competence Training.

Mara is passionate about advocating to advance social work practice within various settings.

Branch B

Carol Huntington

Carol Huntington became a member of NASW in 1972 and has served in leadership positions at NASW in the New Jersey and Maine Chapters since the 1990s. In 2020 she was appointed to serve as the chairperson of the Ethics Committee and of Branch B for the Maine Chapter of NASW. 

Branch C

(vacant)

Branch D

(vacant)

Branch E

Cindy Sturm
Term ends 2022

Cindy Sturm is the service supervisor for the counseling and psychotherapy programs at Dirigo Counseling Clinic in Bangor, Maine. She brings a long career of professional clinical practice. Her diverse background includes both outpatient and inpatient treatment of patients who warranted psychotherapy, evaluation, observation, and recommendation. She works with families, children, and adults. Cindy comes with a long list of training and skills that she has practiced since 1998. She is a member of the board of NASW ME and chapter leader for district D. She is also a NAMI ME member.