Sierra Medical Center Names Chief Nursing Officer to its Executive Leadership Team

Northern Nevada Sierra Medical Center (SMC) has announced Shelby Hunt, DNP, MBA, MHA, RN, CEN, as Chief Nursing Officer of the region’s newest hospital. Hunt has worked in healthcare for nearly 30 years and has served as a nursing leader at Northern Nevada Health System since 2004.

In 2004, Shelby was appointed Emergency Services Director at Northern Nevada Medical Center (NNMC), sister hospital to SMC, where she led the hospital’s emergency department operations, as well as the heart and stroke center. Shelby guided a multidisciplinary team at NNMC to successfully achieve Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation in 2024 and maintain national accreditation for Advanced Primary Stroke, Advanced Heart Failure, Advanced Acute Heart Attack Ready and Acute Stroke Ready, designations awarded by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.

“Shelby is a longstanding leader in the community and has instilled a culture of safety and care in her previous role,” said Jim Bradley, Chief Operating Officer at Northern Nevada Sierra Medical Center. “We know her experience and leadership will help ensure our nursing staff are equipped with the resources to successfully care for our patients.”

As Chief Nursing Officer at Northern Nevada Sierra Medical Center, Hunt is responsible for all clinical operations of the hospital and support of the executive leadership team with initiatives related to staffing, program development and maintaining high clinical standards in all nursing departments. She will leverage prior experience and the vast training opportunities she has pursued to foster a strong clinical nursing team and pursue national recognition for the hospital’s core service lines.

“The new hospital has been a great addition to the region and brings with it an expansion of services that best support our growing market including a structural heart program and The Family Birth Center featuring a level II NICU,” said Hunt. “I am honored to join the team and bring my experience to the role. I am committed to maintaining our clinical standards of care so patients are safe coming to our hospital and can access advanced care for their condition.”

Shelby has continued to pursue advanced education and holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Nevada, Reno. She is active in the community and currently serves as board chair of the REMSA Paramedic Advisory Board, board president for Northern Nevada Nurses of Achievement, board member of Truckee Meadows Paramedic Advisory Board and chair of the Washoe County Communitywide Emergency Consortium. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Emergency Nurses Association, Nevada Organization of Nurse Leaders and Sigma Theta Tau-Nu Iota Chapter.