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.

Secretary

Hilary Moore, BSW (Pronouns: she/ her)
Term ends 2022

Hilary Moore, BSW is a new Social Work graduate from Walden University who is continuing for her master’s degree. She has been working around the social services field for over seven years now and enjoys being involved in her community. Hilary has worked with different populations including Traumatic Brain Injuries in Maine, as well as Colorado. She has done work with Residential Youth Services, Assisted Living Facilities, Mental Health Rehabilitation, Community Integration, Policy and Advocacy, Protection from Abuse cases, and with Homeless Children and Families. Currently Hilary is finishing up her undergraduate Internship with Maine Equal Justice and is set to graduate August 15, 2021.

Relevant memberships and affiliations:

NASW- Maine Board Secretary, Member of the NASW-Maine Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) Committee (formerly the LGBTQ Advocacy Committee), and Member of the NASW-Maine Policy Committee.

Hilary was raised in Freeport, Maine. She lived in Colorado from 2008-2016, when she returned to Maine. She now lives in Winslow with her family. She enjoys gardening, landscaping, spending time with her family on the water and hiking in the Maine woods.

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

Amy Blake

Amy Blake, LCSW, ACSW is the Branch B Chair. She has a private practice specializing in relationship therapy and trauma. She provides training and consultation. She coaches clinicians, coaches and presenters on being leaders and having a more powerful voice. . 

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. 

BSW Student Representative - University of Maine

Emma Williams

Emma Williams is in her final year at the University of Maine in their social work program. She will be serving on the board of directors as the BSW student representative. Emma is hoping to work on the Macro Side of social work, influencing and taking part in social welfare policy development. Emma is planning on attending law school, as social workers have a unique insight that makes them specially equipped to create public policy. Emma is passionate about advancing and defending human rights. She looks forward to assisting the board in their endeavors this year. She also hopes to help connect more new social workers to the NASW.