Forty Under 40: Erin Kyle

Erin Kyle was 16 when her father died from complications due to a stroke, in part due to poor lifestyle choices. Watching him struggle, she said, opened her eyes.

“I decided my life’s ambition would be to make a positive impact on the health status of as many people as possible,” she explained.

That position has been unwavering. Kyle earned a nursing degree from Arkansas Tech University in 2002, a master’s degree in nursing in 2012 and a doctorate earlier this summer, both from Vanderbilt University.

Her education is complete, but Kyle said the journey toward health promotion and public education has only begun.

“My goal is to utilize my experience with where bad lifestyle choices can lead as leverage to educate the public,” she said.

Kyle, a Louisiana native, was hired by Mercy in 2008 and was promoted to her current role in 2012. She has oversight of seven departments and 115 employees, with operational revenue exceeding $100 million and more than 6,000 surgical procedures each year.

Physical fitness is, naturally, a hobby. Kyle was a competitive weight lifter in college and is a fourth-degree black belt in both Judo and Aikido. Kyle also completed the Athens Marathon in Greece in 2007, famous for its finish inside Panathinaiko Stadium, the finishing point for both the 1896 and 2004 Olympic marathons.

“Until I finished my doctoral degree, that was the most exhilarating experience, personally,” she said.