Administration & Faculty
Kyle Hunt
President, Texas School of Health Sciences
D. Kyle Hunt is the founding CEO of Texas School of Health Sciences (TSHS). TSHS is dedicated to partnering with healthcare systems to develop and operate hospital-based degree programs that support students and benefit consumers. Mr. Hunt began working on this critical initiative with the Texas Board of Nursing (BON), Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) in 2008. Despite challenges in finding the right partner for the school, Mr. Hunt never gave up on his vision to provide an innovative approach to nursing education that offered extensive real-world clinical experience in conjunction with a partnering healthcare institution.
Mr. Hunt graduated from The University of Texas at Austin, B.A., Sociology in 2002. During his studies at The University of Texas Mr. Hunt developed a fervor for education equality and as a student athlete experienced firsthand how scholarships and teamwork can influence the lives of young people and provide them with an opportunity to get ahead in life.
Mr. Hunt went on to receive his M.B.A. while working for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. At Wells Fargo he routinely encountered customers who had difficulty securing residential mortgages because they carried excessive consumer debt in the form of student loans. The same loans his customers had taken out for the purpose of funding their education and to get ahead in life were now preventing them from moving forward.
One of the projects Mr. Hunt was required to complete for his M.B.A., and that continues to influence his work today, involved researching a nationally ranked healthcare staffing company. Mr. Hunt learned the company’s revenues were generated primarily by providing skilled nurses to hospitals and healthcare systems on a temporary basis. He believed the company’s 5-year growth rate of 450% was a consequence of hospitals’ and healthcare systems’ continued failure to attract and retain qualified staff. This resulted in hospitals spending inordinate amounts of money to meet their basic staffing requirements. At present, these “premium dollar” (overtime and outside staffing) expenditures are systematically siphoned away from other patient care needs of hospitals and routinely amount to 30% of operating costs.
Mr. Hunt’s life experiences as the son of a practicing nurse, undergraduate student athlete, graduate student, and businessman are what inspired him to come up with a better way: a hospital-based nursing school with students selected from both the hospital staff and the general community. Tuition is underwritten by the sponsoring hospital, with special consideration given to unskilled applicants who do not hold a license in a health care profession. This model encourages hospitals and healthcare systems to ensure students experience enhanced clinical training, education, and preparation in the acute care setting. It also provides opportunities for unlicensed staff and community members to secure a professional degree and guaranteed job placement without having to take on the burden of student loan debt.
In his spare time Mr. Hunt enjoys relaxing on South Padre Island and practicing yoga.
Dr. Susan Sportsman
Interim Chief Academic Officer, Texas School of Health Sciences
Susan Sportsman, RN, PhD, ANEF, FAAN serves as the Interim Chief Academic Officer for Texas School of Health Sciences. Dr. Sportsman holds a BSN from Baylor University, a MS in Health Science Instruction from Texas Woman’s University, an MSN from University of Texas at Arlington, and a PhD, also from Texas Woman’s University. She has a wealth of experience in clinical, healthcare administration and health professions education.
Specific to her role as TSHS Chief Academic Officer, she has served as an Instructor in the Associate Degree Program at El Centro College, an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, an Associate Dean at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing, and Dean and Professor of the College of Health Sciences and Human Services at Midwestern State University (MSU) in Wichita Falls, Texas, now MSU Texas.
Early in her career, Dr. Sportsman realized her love for developing new projects and services when she was tasked with the job of developing a new psychiatric hospital for the seriously and persistently mentally ill for Tarrant County MHMR and was the founding administrator for that hospital. Later, she was also responsible for the revision of psychiatric programs for a large healthcare system, also in Fort Worth, Texas.
During her academic career, Dr. Sportsman has taught at the associate degree, baccalaureate and graduate levels in Nursing and Healthcare Administration. In her capacity as Associate Dean of Practice at Texas Tech University, in addition to her teaching role, she developed faculty practice contracts, providing opportunities for faculty to incorporate their nursing practice into their faculty role. As Dean of the College of Health Sciences and Human Services at Midwestern State University, she was responsible for undergraduate and graduate nursing, radiological science and kinesiology programs, undergraduate respiratory care, dental hygiene, and social work programs, and graduate programs in healthcare administration and public administration, expanding these programs throughout her tenure at the university.
Dr. Sportsman continued her commitment to entrepreneurial activities that expanded the influence of programs for which she was responsible, including guiding the expansion of programs and curriculum at MSU. She received numerous grants to provide funding for program expansion and outreach. For example, she authored a grant to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to fund a Regional Simulation Center that served nursing and respiratory
students at MSU, nursing students at Vernon College, and staff members at United Regional, the hospital serving Wichita Falls, and surrounding areas. At that time, this Regional Simulation Center was one of the first such collaborations in the country.
Dr. Sportsman has been active in several professional organizations, servicing as President of Texas Nurses Association and on the Board of Team Texas. She has been inducted as a fellow into the NLN Academy of Nurse Educators, and the Academy of Nursing.
Cecilia Gonzales, MSN, PMHNP-BC
Full-Time Nursing Instructor, Texas School of Health Sciences
Cecilia Gonzales, MSN, PMHNP-BC, is a full-time nursing instructor at Texas School of Health Sciences and an experienced Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with over 20 years of experience in healthcare management, specializing in psychiatric and mental health care. She holds an ANCC board certification as a PMHNP and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice at the University of Texas at Arlington. Cecilia has earned a Post-Graduate Certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where she also completed her Master of Science in Nursing Administration. As a full-time instructor, she brings her expertise in psychiatric care, geriatric treatment, and disease management to guide ADN students in both the theoretical and practical aspects of nursing. Fluent in English and Spanish, Cecilia excels in policy and program development, computerized charting, and ensuring compliance with CMS and TJC standards. Her professional experience includes running her own outpatient psychiatric practice, SIG Psychiatry PLLC, and serving as an inpatient psychiatric nurse practitioner at multiple psychiatric hospitals in the region.
Monica Carranza, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Faculty, Texas School of Health Sciences
Monica Carranza, PMHNP, is a full-time instructor and clinical coordinator at Texas School of Health Sciences, with 17 years of experience in nursing. As a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Monica combines her extensive background in a variety of fields of nursing including more recent experience in mental health care with her dedication to nursing education. She oversees clinical placements, mentors students, and supports their academic and professional growth.
Monica coordinates student clinical experiences in collaboration with local healthcare facilities, ensuring students gain valuable hands-on learning in units with staffing needs. In the classroom, she emphasizes essential clinical skills and patient care techniques. Her commitment to academic integrity and student success helps prepare the next generation of nursing professionals for meaningful careers.