Our Team

A woman with medium-length blondish brown hair sits in a chair. She is wearing a chartreuse blazer over a white top and has a gold necklace. She is wearing red lipstick and has a small smile.

erin e. baird, ph.d.

Erin brings her demonstrated history of executive leadership in the government administration of workforce programs to the private sector— providing outstanding customer service to assist healthcare organizations in securing international talent as a solution to their skills gap challenges.

Before transitioning to the private sector, Erin was responsible for the state of Oklahoma’s $23 million in annual federal funding for statewide workforce development programs as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Office of Workforce Development and Governor's Council for Workforce and Economic Development. In this role, she worked collaboratively with the state’s political and business leaders, fostered public-private partnerships, and managed and secured private, state, and federal grants. The state’s cross-sector workforce development initiative, Oklahoma Works, is a national best practice in ensuring business’ needs drive education and training of adults and youth.

Erin is a strong business development professional with a B.S. in Corporate Communication from the University of Texas at Austin, a M.A. in Communication from West Texas A&M University, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Communication from the University of Oklahoma.

Erin is an active member of Crown Heights United Methodist Church and serves on the Oklahoma Board of Private Vocational Schools, the Autism Foundation of Oklahoma (Vice-Chair), and on the Advisory Committee for the University of Oklahoma College of Allied Health’s John W. Keys Speech and Hearing Center United Way Programs (Interprofessional Language Enrichment and Pre-Kindergarten, iLEAP, and the United Way Hearing Aid Bank).

Although a south Texas native, Erin lives and works in her adopted hometown of Oklahoma City with her 4-year old daughter and 2-year-old son.

A woman with short white hair, glasses, and a dark red top is sitting at a computer. She is smiling.

SANDY BRANDT

Sandy Brandt is a highly experienced Project Manager and Accounting Specialist with over twenty years of expertise in USCIS filings. She is responsible for coordinating the receipt of client employment agreement offers to foreign trained Registered Nurses, preparing their personal documents and information, and filing their I140 petition filings to the USCIS. Her goal is to help these foreign Registered Nurses receive an EB3 visa, allowing them to work legally in the United States.

Sandy has worked closely with Client Hospitals in the State of Texas, including prestigious institutions such as Houston Methodist Hospital, Brazosport Regional Health System, Dubois Health System, and Covenant Health System, to recruit and hire RNs for their staffing needs. Over the course of 27 years at HealthStar International, she has successfully placed more than 525 RNs in these hospitals and others, helping each one obtain a green card.

Prior to joining HealthStar International in 1996, Sandy served as Corporate Secretary for Physical Therapy Associates from 1980 to May 1995. She also worked for Veterans Affairs in Waco from 1965 to June 1968 and held positions at NASA/Clear Lake as Secretary to the Flight Development Section from September 1968 to May 1972 and June 1974 to June 1975. Sandy has a wealth of experience and knowledge that she brings to her role and shares with her team as Project Manager at HealthStar International.

 

LISA SHOPPA

Lisa Shoppa is a highly skilled healthcare administrator who has worked in the industry for 9.5 years. She possesses a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Psychology from the University of Houston - Victoria, an Associate of Arts Degree from Wharton County Junior College, and has completed coursework in Court Reporting and Computer Science from Alvin Community College and Texas State Technical College, respectively.

Lisa's career began in human resources at Healthfocus in hiring and benefits. In 1998, she worked as a Clerical Support staff for South Texas Medical Clinics. She later joined Wharton County Junior College in 2000 as a Technical Support Specialist/Help Desk Coordinator/HR Secretary. In this role, she was responsible for managing the Blackboard Learning Management System, maintaining third-party platforms, importing and managing student databases for online classes, constructing virtual classrooms, and providing technical support to teachers and students for Blackboard Learn and ITV.

Lisa currently works at HealthStar International, LLC, where she serves as a Project Manager and Recruitment and Arrival Specialist. In this role, she is responsible for interviewing prospective nursing candidates for positions at client hospitals and processing nursing from the hiring process to their arrival in the United States. She ensures that the transition for nurses and their families coming to America is as seamless as possible.

Lisa is a highly motivated and dedicated individual who has the expertise to recruit prospective candidates for hospitals in the United States and ensure a cohesive transition for nurses and their families coming to America. She is an excellent communicator, has strong organizational skills, and is committed to providing excellent customer service.

 

CALEB MCCOURRY

Caleb McCourry is a Project Manager and Licensure and Credentialing Specialist at HealthStar International, where he is responsible for ensuring candidates obtain and maintain licensure and certification in their respective fields. His responsibilities include determining the correct licensure path for registered nurses, medical technologists, medical laboratory scientists, respiratory technicians, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, following up on enrollment in licensure preparation courses, ensuring timely board of nursing applications, processing license endorsement, creating reminders for licensure renewals, and monitoring VisaScreen expiration dates.

Caleb is also an experienced writer and editor with experience in sports reporting and news coverage. He has worked as a Sports Reporter Intern at The Oklahoman, covering sporting events and writing longform enterprise stories. Caleb holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature with a minor in History from the University of Oklahoma. While there, he served as Sports Editor at The OU Daily, the University of Oklahoma’s independent student newspaper.