Meet Jessica Dauvergne: Building the Future of Athlete Health Across New York

Few people know Special Olympics New York as thoroughly as Jessica Dauvergne.

“I’ve been to a competition for just about every sport that we offer,” said Jessica. “I’ve coached floorball, I’ve coached flag football, my family members coach, my friends coach, and I’ve developed powerful relationships with athletes at both the community and school levels.”

Over the past nine years, that experience has extended well beyond the sidelines. Jessica has worked across community programming in the Genesee Region, spent time on the statewide health team, and led efforts within Unified Champion Schools before recently returning to health programming in her new role as Senior Director of Health Programs.

“I think that being able to work one-on-one with athletes and getting to know them and forming relationships with them, especially through coaching, defines your impact and defines the impact we make as an organization,” she shared. “It validates it and gives you the motivation you need to keep showing up and pushing forward.”

In her new role, Jessica is focused on strengthening the connection between health, wellness, and athletic performance, an area she sees as the next major opportunity for growth. While Special Olympics New York has made significant strides in expanding access to health care and preventive screenings, Jessica believes the next step is helping athletes translate that care into everyday habits that support long-term success.

“Our new push towards 2026 is making that connection between a healthy individual and a healthy athlete,” she explained. “Staying healthy and being healthy in your everyday life, being more physically active, ultimately leads to being a better performer and a better athlete.”

For Jessica, that shift starts with helping athletes rethink how health and wellness show up in their daily lives and in their performance as competitors.

“What can taking care of your health, your fitness, and wellness do for your sports performance?” she said. “What can it do for your team? What can it do for your experience on the court as much as it has for your experience off that court?”

To help athletes understand that connection, Jessica plans to expand inclusive fitness opportunities and increase health and wellness education across the state, giving athletes practical tools they can apply both in competition and in their everyday lives.

As health programs continue to grow statewide, volunteers remain a critical part of making that work possible. Jessica encourages anyone curious about getting involved to take the first step.

“The least you can do is try it,” she said. “There’s no sign-your-name-in-stone commitment. You can show up once, get a feel for it, and decide if you want to come back, and about 99 percent of the time, people do.”

For Jessica, those moments are shaped by the athletes themselves and the connections built through volunteering.

“Their gratitude, their positivity, and the way they show up for each other, and that’s what keeps you coming back and pushing forward,” she said.

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