D. Lance Lunsford

Lance Lunsford is a native of Midland, Texas, and currently serves as senior partner at Groundswell Health, a company he co-founded in Austin, Texas, focusing on strategic communication and marketing for healthcare organizations and their public affairs and marketing needs.

As a young reporter, he toiled in the newsroom of the Midland Reporter-Telegram newspaper, where he covered first responders and courts. Later he covered politics and government before becoming city editor. He also worked as a regional reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche Journal where covered business, agriculture, and government. Lunsford grew up a stone's throw from the site where the rescue of Jessica McClure attracted the worldwide media spotlight and ensuing frenzy. As a reporter, he covered the aftermath of the rescue where he found a trail of dysfunction, death and imprisonment -- much of it avoidable. His interest in the story originally developed based on his dedication to public service and community engagement. The story of Jessica's rescue is more nuanced, however, and further examination reveals the role the rescue played in catalyzing 24-hour news networks and the stigma first responders faced when confronting PTSD.

Lunsford's career includes more than eight years at the Texas Hospital Association as senior vice president of marketing and strategic communications. He also served as president/ CEO of the organization's for-profit subsidiary, HealthShare. Having worked in newspapers, digital media and health care marketing, Lunsford works on a number of multimedia projects including communications coaching and influence, web development, and digital video integration. He is currently working on business projects related to NFL expansion cities as well as book projects including a harrowing history of the 10th Cavalry in the 1878 buffalo solider tragedy that interweaves a dramatic political tale involving Commanche chief Quanah Parker and the media. Other book projects include the 2018 Austin bomber, the conservative record and legacy of President George W. Bush, and the decade of inefficient implementation of electronic health records in the health care industry.

Lunsford holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Texas A&M University and a Masters in Business Administration from Texas Tech University. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on the board of the ACHE Central Texas chapter.

Lunsford lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and three daughters.