5 Questions with New Ascellus VP Nancy Schaefer

Movers & Shakers

Last month, Ascellus, a behavioral health provider focused on helping injured workers restore their physical and emotional wellbeing, announced the appointment of Nancy Schaefer as vice president of sales and customer activation.

Schaefer brings 15 years of workers’ compensation experience to the role. Most recently, she served as senior director of customer implementations for One Call. Prior to her role as senior director, Schaefer held a variety of other leadership positions at One Call across sales, marketing and product management.

We were fortunate enough to borrow some of Schaefer's time for a few questions on behavioral health and what the future might hold.

1. What makes behavioral health a workers' compensation issue?

Nancy Schaefer: Behavioral health is inseparable from physical recovery and return to work. An injury does not occur in a vacuum. It disrupts a person’s sense of safety, identity, routine, and financial stability. Anxiety, depression, fear of reinjury, catastrophizing, and sleep disruption can significantly slow healing, increase pain perception, and prolong disability. In workers’ compensation, untreated psychosocial risk factors often show up as delayed recovery, extended treatment duration, higher indemnity costs, and poorer outcomes. Addressing behavioral health early is not ancillary care. It is foundational to effective claim resolution.

2. What is the key to listening to and understanding customers?

NS: The key is listening with intent rather than agenda. That means going beyond what customers say they want and understanding what they are accountable for, including outcomes, costs, timelines, and internal pressures. In workers’ compensation, customers are not just looking for another service. They need solutions that fit their workflows, regulatory constraints, and claim realities. True understanding comes from asking thoughtful questions, validating their experience, and translating clinical capability into practical value that aligns with how they actually manage claims.

3. What in your background do you think will be most useful in your new role?

NS: My background sits at the intersection of sales, client activation, and operational execution within workers’ compensation. I have spent years not only selling services, but also ensuring they are implemented effectively and deliver measurable results. That perspective is critical because success is not defined at contract signature. It is defined by adoption, referral behavior, and outcomes. Having worked closely with claims, clinical, and operational teams, I understand how to bridge strategy and execution so customers realize value quickly and consistently.

4. What is your “why” in your work?

NS: Behavioral health has long been an overlooked component of workers’ compensation, and I have seen firsthand the consequences of that gap. I have watched claims linger longer than necessary, injured workers struggle without the right type of support, and costs continue to rise as issues go unaddressed. My why is helping change that narrative by demonstrating that behavioral health improves recovery for injured workers while also delivering meaningful financial value for payers. I am passionate about making behavioral health accessible, practical, and effective so it benefits patients, claims teams, and organizations alike.

5. By creating this new role, what can Ascellus and its customers expect?

NS: By creating this role, Ascellus is demonstrating a commitment to consistency, accountability, and outcomes. Customers can expect a more intentional and structured experience from initial engagement through activation and ongoing partnership. Internally, this role ensures tighter alignment between sales, clinical operations, and customer success so that what is promised is what is delivered. Externally, customers can expect clearer value articulation, faster adoption, and a stronger focus on measurable return-to-work and claim outcomes.

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