Before Dr. Rhonda Hatfield (’96, ’00) led teams of nurses across multi-state healthcare systems, she was splitting her time between Franklin County High School basketball games and life on her family’s 125-acre farm in Belvidere, Tennessee.
“We were either on the road playing sports or feeding cows,” she laughs. “It was a surreal teenage life that gave me both roots and wings.”
She brought that same energy to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where she played for the Lady Mocs during the 1993–94 season and lived on campus all four years. UTC’s strong nursing program ultimately won her full focus, and her decision to shift from student-athlete to full-time nursing student set the stage for a lifelong career in healthcare.
I had the honor of playing Lady Mocs Basketball from 1993 to 1994, but ultimately, the reputation of the UTC Nursing program drew me in.
Rhonda Hatfield (No. 22, top row center) during her time with the Lady Mocs basketball team.
“I loved college life,” she said. “We had a landing of football players in Boling Apartments and shared endless pranks. It was like having eight brothers. You didn’t dare let them meet your date.” Whether it was step shows on Vine Street or cheering in the stands at Chamberlain Field, Rhonda remembers her time at UTC as vibrant and connected.
After graduating with her BSN in 1996, she started working night shifts in the MICU at CHI Memorial and enrolled in UTC’s MBA program—mostly because her best friend was starting nurse practitioner school, and Rhonda didn’t want to get left behind. “I told her, ‘If you’re getting a master’s, I’m getting a master’s,’” she said. “The night before they named me Chief Nursing Officer in 2015, I called her and said, ‘This is all your fault—and thank you.’”
After 12 years leading critical care, Rhonda decided it was time to stop, as she puts it, “doing half the work for half the pay.” She threw her name in the hat for executive leadership—and didn’t look back. She became Chief Nursing Officer at CHI Memorial, then Division CNO for CommonSpirit Health’s Southeast region, overseeing nursing operations across multiple states. Today, after earning her Doctor of Business Administration, she continues to guide others as a nursing leadership consultant and interim CNO. “I love helping nurses learn the business of healthcare,” she said. “If we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”
Beyond boardrooms and bedside strategy, Rhonda finds the most meaning in mentorship. Whether she’s coaching new nurse leaders, advocating for better clinical processes, or teaching others how to think like both a caregiver and a CFO, her mission is the same: to empower others to lead with purpose.
“UTC gave me the foundation to do this work,” she said. “Not just as a nurse—but as a leader who understands people, systems and what’s possible when you bring them together.”
That’s why she’s stayed connected to her alma mater, serving on the UTC Alumni Board and encouraging future students to choose UTC as their launchpad. “This place made a lasting impact on me,” she said. “And I plan to keep showing up for it however I can. Go Mocs!”
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