TSHS/Prime Steering Committee
Ana Hinojosa
CNO, Knapp Medical Center
Anna Hinojosa serves as the Chief Nursing Officer at Knapp Medical Center. With nearly 30 years of nursing experience, Ms. Hinojosa uses her knowledge and experience to promote the delivery of exceptional healthcare at Knapp Medical Center.
Ms. Hinojosa received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, and her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Brownsville. She began her nursing career in 1987 as a SICU Staff/Charge Nurse at Southwest Texas Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, and has been involved in healthcare in the Rio Grande Valley in a variety of roles for nearly 25 years, from serving as a flight nurse to home health care. Ms. Hinojosa has been at Knapp Medical Center since 2006, when she started as the Emergency Department Director, and assumed the role of Chief Nursing Officer in 2014.
As Chief Nursing Officer, Ms. Hinojosa oversees more than 650 nursing staff at Knapp Medical Center.
Dr. Tammy Eades
Independent Member, University of Texas Arlington
Dr. Eades professional clinical experiences include Women’s Services (L&D, newborn, post-partum), ER, Critical Care, and Med-Surg. Professional experience includes Chief Nursing Officer, ER/ICU management, Med-Surg Management, University teaching of Med-Surg clinical, and Campus-based and Online RN-BSN teaching for University Texas Arlington.
She served in the United State Navy Reserve as an officer in the Nurse Corps. Education consists of: DNP (Doctorate of Nursing Practice) in Administration at Texas Christian University (TCU) May 2016. MSN was earned in Nursing Management/Administration at West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas and undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Texas Tech Health Science Center School of Nursing, Lubbock, Texas.
She is a member of National Organizations: American Nurses Association (ANA), American Organization of Nurse Executive (AONE). State organization memberships include: Texas Nursing Association (TNA) and Texas Organization of Nurse Executives (TONE). District and local memberships include TNA President-Elect 2019-2020, President, Zonta’s Women (President) of Mineral Wells, and Leadership Mineral Wells. She serves on her local EMS/Fire board 2017-2020.
She is constantly seeking creative ways to foster dynamic learning environment and to promote high quality patient care and continuous improvement. Her nursing philosophy is lead by example and FISH philosophy. Life is too short to not enjoy what you do for a living.
D. Kyle Hunt
President, Texas School of Health Science
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.