COA Elevates 3 Staff Leaders, Hires New Director of Communications

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Key Takeaways

Senior director appointments formalize expanded oversight of practice engagement, CAN programming, patient experience initiatives, COA Fellows, and cross-functional staff leadership.
Operations leadership remains focused on project governance, events execution, IT/web services, data infrastructure, and continued maturation of the MyCOA member portal.
Appointment of a communications director adds deep federal policy and oncology-adjacent association expertise to amplify COA’s advocacy messaging and stakeholder engagement.
Promotion of a deputy communications director strengthens media relations capacity, unified branding, and member-facing resource dissemination across networks, conferences, and advocacy activities.

The Community Oncology Alliance is the only national organization focused exclusively on community oncology; it advocates for independent practices where most Americans with cancer receive treatment.

The Community Oncology Alliance (COA) has announced a series of leadership changes as the organization continues to grow, promoting 2 staff members to senior director roles, hiring a veteran health care communications executive as director of communications, and elevating a member of its communications team to deputy director.^1-3

COA, the only national organization focused exclusively on community oncology, advocates for independent practices where most Americans with cancer receive treatment.

Senior Director Promotions

Shiela Plasencia has been promoted to senior director of practice support, and Tracy Havens has been promoted to senior director of projects and operations. According to COA, both have taken on greater responsibility for staff, teams, programs, and projects as the organization has expanded, and both have become important leaders across COA.¹

Plasencia will continue to lead COA’s work supporting administrators and operational leaders at community oncology practices, including through the COA Administrators' Network (CAN). Her portfolio also includes practice engagement and education, patient experience initiatives, and the COA Fellows Initiative, which introduces the next generation of oncologists to career opportunities in independent community oncology.

Havens will continue to oversee organizational operations, major projects, COA's events team and event portfolio, and IT and web services. She is also responsible for many of the systems and processes that support COA’s work, including project management, digital platforms, data infrastructure, and the continued development of the organization's member portal, MyCOA.

"Shiela and Tracy are indispensable members of the COA team and have contributed tremendously to our growth and success," said Nicolas Ferreyros, managing director of COA. “They consistently step up, take ownership, and get things done. These promotions recognize the leadership, responsibility, and impact they already bring to the organization and are incredibly well deserved.”¹

COA said the promotions reflect the increasing scope of work required to support independent practices and to preserve patient access to high-quality cancer care close to home.

New Director of Communications

Julie McDowell has joined COA as director of communications, bringing more than 20 years of experience leading communications for national health care associations at the intersection of cancer care, federal health policy, media relations, and member engagement.²

McDowell will lead COA's communications strategy and execution, overseeing media relations, digital and editorial content, and messaging across the organization's advocacy priorities, professional networks, events, and special initiatives. She will work with COA leaders, members, and partners to strengthen the organization's national voice and expand engagement with policymakers, the media, and the broader cancer care community.

“Julie understands how to turn complex health policy and clinical issues into communications that reach the people who need to hear them,” Ferreyros said in a statement, citing her experience advising physician leaders, building national media programs, and leading health-focused campaigns.²

McDowell comes to COA from the College of American Pathologists (CAP), where she most recently served as director of strategic communications and digital content. There, she led organization-wide communications across media relations, digital, social media, email, podcasts, and the web, and directed communications on federal and state advocacy priorities, including Medicare physician reimbursement, oversight of laboratory-developed tests, and policies on artificial intelligence and digital pathology.

At CAP, she developed a national media briefing series that earned a 2026 ASAE Gold Circle Award and connected physician experts with CNN, NBC, FOX, and NPR, generating more than 70 broadcast segments. She also led communications for the 2026 Pathologists Leadership Summit, which reached 175 congressional offices, and for CAP's electronic cancer protocols, standards that support cancer reporting and treatment decisions.

“Community oncology practices provide high-quality, personal cancer care close to home, and their perspective belongs at the center of national health care conversations,” McDowell said.

A journalist by training, McDowell previously held communications and editorial roles at the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine and Washington G-2 Reports. She holds a master's degree in nonfiction writing from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor's degree in journalism from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Deputy Director of Communications

Drew Lovejoy, MS, has been promoted to deputy director of communications. He will continue expanding COA's media relations efforts, help maintain consistent messaging and branding across initiatives, and promote resources for COA members and the broader independent oncology community.³

Since joining COA in March 2020, Lovejoy has helped secure coverage of the organization in health care and trade publications, overseen branding and messaging for COA events, including the annual Community Oncology Conference, and supported communications across COA's professional networks and advocacy efforts. He also prepares members and advocates for media interviews and supports patients and practices during advocacy events.

“Drew has earned the trust of colleagues across COA through his creativity, dependability, and willingness to step up whenever he is needed,” Ferreyros said. “In recent months, he has taken on broader responsibilities across the communications team, and I'm very pleased to see him recognized with this well-earned promotion.”³

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