Ascellus Announces Creation of Vice President of Sales and Customer Activation Role

With years of customer implementation, retention, and growth experience, Nancy Schaefer is appointed to the role

MIAMI (Jan. 20, 2026) – Ascellus, a leading behavioral health provider focused on helping injured workers restore their physical and emotional wellbeing, today announced the appointment of seasoned industry professional Nancy Schaefer as vice president of sales and customer activation.

For many years, behavioral health has been missing from workers’ compensation’s recovery approach. Clinicians have long understood that psychological and social factors slow recovery from physical injuries. Claims professionals see every day how anxiety, fear, trauma, or coping challenges can prolong disability. Yet the system has never been designed to consistently identify these barriers or deliver the right support at the right time.

That gap has become harder to ignore. State laws are broadening the scope of covered mental health injuries. Workplaces are reporting rising rates of violence, burnout, and emotional strain. Employers are experiencing the consequences of long-duration claims and workforce instability. And injured workers are often left navigating complex emotional challenges without specialized support.

“Behavioral health is increasingly recognized as a critical factor in workers’ compensation,” said Ascellus CEO Joe Holtschlag. “This shift is driven by the understanding that psychosocial factors, such as fear, avoidance, and worst-case thoughts about pain, can significantly impact recovery and return-to-work outcomes.”

He continued, “As the industry further understands just how tied physical recovery is to one’s mental state of mind, we are growing. We realized the need for a hands-on role dedicated to demonstrating the value we bring to claims management.”

For her part, Schaefer brings 15 years of workers’ compensation experience to the role. Most recently, she served as senior director of customer implementations for One Call, where she led the team responsible for large-scale implementations. During her six years in the role, she and her team successfully implemented more than 100 customers, representing more than $500M in revenue.

Prior to her role as senior director, Schaefer held a variety of other leadership positions at One Call across sales, marketing and product management, all with a focus on providing value, solutions, and ultimately, success to customers. During this time, she oversaw many multi-million-dollar customer product implementations, leading to an 11 percent year-over-year increase in durable medical equipment revenue, a 20 percent year-over-year increase in prosthetics revenue, and a 35 percent increase in dental revenue over a two-and-a-half-year period.

“Nancy has an extensive background in customer implementation, retention, and growth. We are lucky to have her, and I am confident she will lead Ascellus to great success as we embark on this exciting new chapter in the history of our company – and the industry,” said Holtschlag.

Schaefer is equally excited and eager to get started.

“The workers’ compensation industry has been slow to integrate behavioral health into workers’ compensation, but that is shifting as more people realize the economic benefits,” she said. “With behavioral health services now at the forefront, I look forward to seeing the benefits this brings to our customers in terms of claims management, and ultimately, resolution. But for me, it goes one step deeper. I am eager to see what unfolds for the injured workers we serve as the emotional and mental tolls they carry with them after a workplace injury are made a priority.”