Sammy-Ellie MacKinnon, MSW

Sammy-Ellie is the Project Director for ThriveTogether, a project funded by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Disability grant. This project addresses the disproportionate sexual violence that people with developmental disabilities experience in Maine. DRM is partnering in this work with the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Violence (MECASA), Speaking Up For Us (SUFU), and the Maine Association of Community Service Providers (MACSP). They joined Disability Rights Maine in 2022 as an advocate in the DD Advocacy Program.

Before joining DRM, Sammy-Ellie worked as an advocate for survivors of sexual violence, a group facilitator with MaineTransNet, and a researcher with the Cutler Institute. Sammy-Ellie graduated from the University of Southern Maine School of Social Work with their MSW in 2021. They graduated from Goucher College in Towson, Maryland with dual degrees in Political Science and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

As a disabled, queer, survivor, Sammy-Ellie believes in using their education along with lived experiences to aid in DRM’s mission to ensure autonomy, inclusion, equality, and access for their fellow Mainers. In their spare time, they enjoy thrifting antiques, listening to music, and traveling to the islands of Maine with their wife and dog.