NASW Maine Chapter Staff

Dawn Brown, MSW, Executive Director

Dawn Brown, MSW (She/Her/Hers) has worked in Child Welfare, Oncology Social Work and Social Work Education. She also worked in Student Affairs at Wesleyan University. Dawn served as the Chair of the Online MSW Program at the University of South Florida School of Social Work. She received her BA degree in Human Development from Boston College and her MSW degree from the University of South Florida. 

Dawn supports and values all levels of social work practice with a passion in macro practice in particular, legislation and policy advocacy. Dawn has previously served as the Executive Director for the National Association of Social Workers Florida and Virgin Islands Chapters. She previously served as the NASW-FL Legislative Committee Chair where she led 14 Legislative Unit Chairs from across Florida and also Special Interest Chairs (Child Welfare, Veterans and Military Families, Social Work Licensure, School Social Work and Behavioral Health). 

Dawn was honored as the 2020 NASW Florida Chapter Social Work Educator of the Year. Dawn was inducted into the 2024 inaugural class for the USF School of Social Work Alumni Remark-a-Bull Hall of Fame. Dawn invites you to reach out to her at dbrown.naswme@socialworkers.org or 207-622-7592.

KC Beaupain, MSW, LCSW, Program Coordinator

KC Beaupain, MSW, LCSW (she/her/hers) serves as the Program Coordinator for NASW Maine, bringing over a decade of social work practice with a specialized focus on supporting children and families. She earned her MSW from the University of New England in 2016 and is passionate about advocating for trauma-informed spaces to improve children's safety, well-being, and mental health..

KC brings a person-centered approach to all her work, meeting people where they are and connecting them with resources and support to address their current needs and challenges. This client-centered philosophy, combined with her passion for graphic design and organizational planning, makes her uniquely suited for developing engaging programs and events that serve Maine's social work community.

Having called Maine home for close to 15 years, KC remains committed to advancing the social work profession through innovative programming and advocacy. When not working, she enjoys reading, staying active, cooking, and spending time with her family.

Emryn Lessie, Communications Manager

Emryn Lessie (they/them) completed their undergraduate degree in human services from Southern New Hampshire University and is currently a first-year MSW student at Colby-Sawyer College. They have been working in the human services field for six years in child protection and with survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual violence. In their free time, they enjoy writing queer fiction, spending time with their wife, and playing with their pets: a dog, Buffy, and an orange cat, Frumpkin. Emryn can be reached by email at elessie.naswnh@socialworkers.org.

Student Interns

Jennifer Crossett

Jennifer Crossett (she/her/hers) is thrilled to join the NASW as a student intern! She is currently a second year MSW student at Colby-Sawyer College, with an anticipated graduation date of August 2026. Jennifer completed her first year internship at CREATE Counseling in Manchester, providing counseling services to children, adolescents and adults. While working as an intern, Jennifer will also be serving on the NASW NH Board as a student representative. Social work is a career change for Jennifer, who spent over 15 years working in marketing, including a decade long tenure on SNHU's marketing team. Jennifer is inspired by NASW's mission and looks forward to being a part of an organization driven by advocacy and social change. 

In her free time, Jennifer can be found wandering in the mountains, finding her inner zen on the yoga mat, immersed in a good book or planning her next adventure - she recently went on a safari in Kenya and Tanzania and got to see “The Big 5.”

Tobin Calder

Tobin Calder graduated from UVM in 2025 with a Bachelors in Social Work. She is now an MSW student at UVM. Tobin worked in restorative justice in her last year of undergrad, and is now an intern at NASW. In her free time she enjoys walking her dog, rock climbing, and spending time with friends.

Drew Parent

Drew Parent (they/them) is an Air Force veteran who is currently in their 4th year undergrad at the University of Maine, where they are double majoring in Social Work and Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies. They are passionate about harm reduction and rehabilitation, and are particularly impressed and inspired by the decriminalization policies of Portugal - which they recently had the tremendous privilege to study and observe for themselves firsthand during a summer semester study abroad experience in Lisbon!

Jocelyn Peirce

Jocelyn Peirce is in her second year of her MSW at UNH and is over the moon to be serving with NASW this year. In her "day job" Jocelyn is an ordained minister at an American Baptist Church. She's been a nonprofit leader for 15 years, and loves participating in collaborative projects to move big goals forward. She also loves expensive coffee. An eternal optimist, her favorite phrase is, "How hard can it be?" Jocelyn lives in NH with her family, too many house plants, 1 cat, 4 chickens, and an overly ambitious garden.