Our Staff

Jessica Hausauer, PhD, Executive Director

Jessica Hausauer, PhD, is the Executive Director of the National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care. Prior to joining the coalition, Jessica was the Executive Director of Minnesota Network of Hospice and Palliative Care. Jessica is the chair of the Minnesota Palliative Care Advisory Council and has led several state level education and advocacy efforts including co-convening the Minnesota Serious Illness Action Network and serving on the Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging.

Theresa Profant, MS, Coalition Operations & Communications

Theresa Profant, MS, has a passion for health policy, advocacy, and research related to improving care for serious illness. With more than 20 years of experience in public health, health education, and communications, she brings a blend of knowledge and expertise to facilitate the sustainability and impact of the Coalition. Prior to joining the Coalition, Theresa was the project manager for the Pediatric End-of-Life Care (PedEOL) Research Group at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she served as the communications and operations lead for the group, which was funded by a $2m National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 research grant to provide evidence for pediatric concurrent hospice care through the analysis of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrative claims data. She developed and managed the project website, social media, and state level document repository using best practices for online environments including branding, user experience, and accessibility.  As a result, she received the Torch Award for innovation and outstanding service from the UTK College of Nursing.

She began her career as a writer for an entrepreneurial development program and later became the corporate communications manager at a Fortune 500 company before entering the healthcare industry. Theresa attended the Duke University Fuqua School of Business executive education program earning a certificate in business coaching and received her undergraduate degree from Tennessee Tech University (BS) and Master of Science in Education (MS) from the University of Tennessee. She also attended the University of Utrecht in The Netherlands and the Dagbe Cultural Institute & Arts Centre in Ghana, West Africa.

Devon Dabbs, Project Director

An experienced nonprofit leader, Devon Dabbs’ strength and expertise are rooted in building effective, sustainable community collaborations for change. She is skilled in the intricacies of nonprofit management, with an emphasis on state and national advocacy, capacity building, communication, team and leadership development, and board governance. Devon is also recognized as gifted public speaker and facilitator with a talent for establishing consensus among diverse stakeholders.  Devon joined Fio Partners, a Connecticut-based consulting firm specializing in nonprofit management and leadership development, in 2013. In this capacity, Devon works as an organizational development consultant, executive coach and trainer, and has advised and counseled numerous nonprofits on a wide range of issues including board and staff development, strategic planning, organizational effectiveness, and change management. Devon’s clients include Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, LISA Inc., The Connection, Inc., Boys and Girls Clubs of Hartford, StayWell Health Care, The SeriousFun Children’s Network, VSA, Inc., Connecticut Community Foundation, and Orchard House Adult Day Center, among others. Devon is a graduate of Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business.

Prior to her work in healthcare reform, Devon was an award-winning documentarian and television marketing executive. Her documentary film credits include Walter Cronkite’s four-part series “Victory over Violence,” and the Peabody Award-winning CBS documentary “Break the Silence: Kids Against Child Abuse.” Devon also coordinated and launched numerous national and international communication campaigns for both network and syndicated programming, including the 50th and 51st annual Emmy Awards. She has spearheaded media campaigns on behalf of the American Red Cross and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. She was instrumental in the launch of the Hilton Foundation’s 1st Annual International Humanitarian Conference in conjunction with the $1.5 million Hilton Humanitarian Prize, awarded annually to an organization making extraordinary contributions toward alleviating human suffering anywhere in the world. It was in this capacity, she has coordinated campaigns on behalf of St. Christopher’s Hospice, Doctors without Borders, International Rescue Committee, Heifer International, and more.