Boost your Budget Awareness Campaign

Jessalyn joined NCOA in August 2023, and serves as the primary point of contact for the Benefits Enrollment Centers in the Northeast. Her previous work focused on the experiences of beneficiaries enrolling in WIC, SNAP, and Medicaid, and she is passionate about working to increase access to life-changing benefits. In her free time, Jessalyn loves to spend time outdoors, and she recently spent a month and a half hiking El Camino de Santiago in Spain. She has her bachelor's degree in Health Equity & Policy from Cornell University. 

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Darren Hotton has over 20 years of experience helping Medicare beneficiaries, family members, and caregivers navigate the Medicare and Medicaid landscape. He was the Director of Utah Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIP), Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), and Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) for 18 years. Darren's mission is to empower, educate, and assist older adults to access all benefits, and age well on their own terms.

Simona Combi managed media relations for several nonprofit research and advocacy organizations, including the Center for Global Policy Solutions and the Urban Institute. Most recently, she worked for IQ Solutions—a NIH contractor—to support the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s press team. She brings experience generating national media coverage and preparing national level spokespeople for interviews.

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Jen Teague is the Associate Director for Health Coverage and Benefits at NCOA. She has over 15 years of experience working on behalf of older adults and their families. Jen’s previous roles have included working with the North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services, overseeing adult protective services and managing local non-profit organizations.  She has significant experience working with community-based organization (CBO) committees, taskforces, and providing education, information and resources to older adults, key stakeholders, and elected officials. Jen states her passion is ensuring that older adults can access services and supports that allow them to age with dignity and choice. Jen has a Masters degree in Community Counseling and a Bachelors degree in Sociology both from Appalachian State University.

Allyson comes to NCOA from Evolent Health Care, where she worked as a Customer Care Coordinator. While there she was responsible for handling customer service requests, communicating with physician’s offices to verify authorization information, developing relationships with provider groups, and making triage decisions not requiring clinical judgement. Allyson also worked as a Senior Care Coordinator and a Senior Customer Service Advisor for CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield, a Care Coordinator for AmeriHealth Caritas, and a Case Specialist for INTotal Health. Allyson brings a wealth of practical knowledge about benefits and has experience implementing regulations/policies in the insurance industry, as well as experience working with Medicaid offices in DC and Virginia.