Karen Martin-Brown

Karen Martin-Brown
Inclusion Facilitator
Office: Institute on Disability, 10 West Edge, Durham, NH 03824

Education

  • B.S. in Behavioral Sciences, Granite State College, 2001
  • M.S. in Human Services/Community Counseling Psychology, Springfield College, 2005

Background

Karen Martin-Brown comes to the IOD after 19 years as a NH Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, where she has worked in both the Concord and Portsmouth offices. Her work in supporting and advocating for individuals with disabilities spans a 25+ year timeframe. She has a wealth of experience in caseload management, counseling, assessing, and guiding individuals in their career decisions and planning.

During her time at NH Vocational Rehabilitation, she served as the Lead Transition Counselor for the Seacoast Region. Through her work, she has built strong relationships with NH high schools, students, families, area agencies, partner agencies, postsecondary institutions, and businesses. She was honored with the New Hampshire Transition Professional of the Year Award at the 2014 Transition Summit.

Karen was an integral part of the curriculum and program development for NHVR’s Student Transition Services, as well as teaching the workshops in high schools. She was on the planning team in the development of UNH-4U and Seacoast Region Project SEARCH and has been a member of the Seacoast Project SEARCH Core Team and Business Advisory Committee, as well as being the primary VR counselor for Project SEARCH students. Karen has also served as a Governor appointed member of the New Hampshire Statewide Rehabilitation Council and a member of the Great Bay Community College CAPS Advisory Board. She has been a volunteer facilitator for Seacoast Outright, supporting LGBTQA+ youth. Karen is highly fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), a former ASL adult education instructor, and is well-connected in the Deaf community.

Karen lives in Dover with her wife Patti, daughter Camille, two cats and a dog. She loves listening to music across many genres, as well as attending live concerts, and playing her ukulele. She loves to cook, bake, and host social events.

Courses Taught

  • HHS 400B: UNH-4U Sem: Academic Success