Baird Health & Counseling Center Staff
Julie Nicknair-Keon, LCMHC, NCC
director of health and counseling
Julie received her M.A. in community counseling from Fairfield University and a B.A. in secondary education from New England College. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and a Nationally Certified Counselor. She has 30+ years of counseling experience in a variety of settings and 10+ years in higher education. She believes in a holistic, strength based, person-centered approach and values supporting an individual’s understanding of their personal development and overall health and wellbeing. Julie also believes in embracing one’s humanness with kindness and humor. She volunteers for the Granite State Critical Incident Response Team providing support to law enforcement, first responders and health care providers.
In addition to spending time with friends, family and her pets. Julie enjoys an array of outdoor activities, reading, listening to music, watching TV and eating good food.
Leigh Bears, ARNP-CNP
family nurse practitioner
Leigh is a family nurse practitioner who has experience providing primary care across all age groups, but she particularly enjoys working with adolescents and young adults. While she is skilled in all areas of health care her particular interests are in health maintenance including nutrition, fitness and stress reduction. Leigh lives in New London with her family.
Brian Frenkiewich, M.S., D.O.
consulting physician
Dr. Frenkiewich works at nearby New London Hospital where he practices family medicine. He is Colby-Sawyer’s consulting physician for Baird Health and Stock Sports Medicine Clinic. Dr.Frenkiewich attained his Doctor of Osteopathy from the University of New England, a Master of Science, Athletic Training at Indiana State University, and we are proud to say, his B.S. Exercise Sciences, Athletic Training from Colby-Sawyer College. He is a true Charger!
maria "Masha" Coy, LCMHC
clinical mental health counselor
Masha earned her master’s degree from Fitchburg State University and brings more than twenty years of experience in assisting people in their journey towards connecting more deeply to their inner wisdom and accessing their own healing energy.
Her work with students focuses on utilizing intention to access, create and explore meaningful pathways towards personal mastery. She believes students can accomplish anything with the right support, a dash of perseverance and a presence of hope. Masha is passionate about the mind and body connection and loves to utilize a variety of therapeutic resources, from traditional talk therapy to an array of expressive arts therapy techniques. She is also interested in nutritional psychology, exploring how what we put into our bodies can affect our feelings and behaviors and how our feelings and behaviors can affect our bodies. She also believes humor and laughter have amazing healing potential and makes room for both in her life and work. Masha is bi-cultural and fluent in both English and Russian. During her free time, she enjoys being outdoors: kayaking, gardening, hiking in the summer; skiing and snowshoeing in the winter, as well as practicing yoga year-round. Though proudly American, she stays connected to her cultural roots while enjoying the exploration of other cultures through travel and cuisine with her family.
Colleen Porter, M.A., LCMHC
clinical mental health counselor
Colleen has a rich background in therapy, art and education. She earned her M.A. in expressive arts therapy and mental health counseling from Lesley University and a B.A. in art history from Stonehill College. Colleen has been a primary therapist and expressive arts therapist at Mountain Valley Treatment Center and at Boston Children’s Hospital. She also operates a private practice where she specializes in treating anxiety and OCD. In addition, she has worked as an adjunct professor of expressive arts therapy at Stonehill College. Colleen strives to have a welcoming, calm and compassionate presence with all students. Colleen has been with Colby-Sawyer since 2020.
DARSIE mcphee, B.S.
Associate Counselor (Graduate Intern)
Darsie is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work at the University of Denver and serves as a graduate intern at Baird. She grew up in the Lake Sunapee–Kearsarge region of New Hampshire and earned her B.S. in social work from the University of New Hampshire in 2017, after beginning her undergraduate studies at Simmons College in Boston. Darsie is committed to creating a warm, collaborative and affirming space where those she works with feel seen, supported and empowered. She believes that each person’s experiences and narratives deserve a safe environment for exploration in ways that feel safe and meaningful to them. Outside of work and school, Darsie enjoys spending time with her young son and family, often immersed in nature. She also enjoys learning about history and has a deep appreciation for music.
Bernadette O'Leary Austin
office manager
Bernadette is likely the first person that you will talk with or meet when you come to Baird. Bernadette manages the scheduling, filing and many other things that assure smooth operations in the health & counseling center. She joined the Baird staff in fall 2018 and quickly adapted to the change from prior retail and financial customer service work. Bernadette has spent most of her life living in New Hampshire and has a B.A. in English from Simmons College. She lives in Warner with her family.
Stock Sports Medicine Staff
athletic trainers
We have an excellent staff of licensed athletic trainers that work directly with student athletes. The ATs manage the daily operation of the clinic and work collaboratively with the staff of Baird Health & Counseling Center and medically consult with Dr. Brian Frenkiewich and Concord Orthopedics.
New London Hospital Practices
New London Hospital is one mile from Colby-Sawyer. Baird Health & Counseling Center consults with the medical and psychiatric services of New London Hospital as needed.