Age: 34
Occupation: Regional hospice care
coordinator
Email: jessica.covey@transitionscare.com
Education: Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration; master’s degree in communication; Leadership Springfield Graduate 2023
Affiliations/community activities:
Ambassador, Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce; board member, Senior Services; board member, Illinois Women in Leadership; chair, Athena Award
What is your guiding principle in life?
Lead with compassion, serve with purpose, and treat every person with dignity. People always remember how you made them feel.
What led you to your career? I loved someone who had cancer, and the excellent care he received during chemo treatments inspired me to work with cancer patients. I gained experience and eventually transitioned to hospice care.
What would you like your life to look like in five or 10 years? I have a goal of earning a management position, so I can lead, coach and teach others how to continuously grow.
What do you wish your younger self had known when you started on this path? I wish I had known that you can only control what you can control and that it’s okay to not have all the answers.
What has been your greatest professional achievement? My team and I organized a toy drive for St. John’s Children’s Hospital and delivered over 200 gifts to the children on Christmas Eve.
What’s the worst career advice you’ve ever received? A former leader told me I would never succeed in earning a position in hospice care because I am not a nurse. She later offered me an office that I kindly declined.
This article appears in July SBJ 2026.