Ursuline Names Current Principal as Next President
Ursuline Academy has selected Dr. Andrea Shurley as its next president, effective July 1, 2024.
Shurley will be the eighth president of Ursuline Academy, succeeding current president Gretchen Kane.
”For nearly a decade, Andrea Shurley’s leadership has been essential to the successful innovations and growth at Ursuline Academy, assuring excellence in academics, student well-being, and faculty and staff development,” said Jon Piot, chair of Ursuline’s board of trustees. “Our community is truly blessed that her dedication and passionate commitment to the Catholic Ursuline core values and all-girls education will energize her vital new efforts to lead Ursuline.”
Dr. Shurley joined Ursuline as principal in 2014 after having served eleven years in teaching and administration with the Schools of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco, California, including a tenure as head of school of Covent of the Sacred Heart High School. Prior to her work in education, she had a career in technology in Austin and Silicon Valley.
“Ursuline’s mission and values, the overarching commitment to Serviam, and the opportunity to continue building on the history and promise of Ursuline call me in many ways,” Shurley said. “It is humbling and fulfilling to see these wonderful young women come through our doors as young freshmen and leave us as graduates, ready to lead as women of faith.”
“Our team of educators is devoted and focused on excellence,” Shurley continued. “The extended community, parents, alumnae, and engaged partners help us remain focused in sustaining our heritage and identity as a Catholic, Ursuline school. The Ursuline Sisters are the soul of what we do. We see their gifts and legacies in our daily lives and in the spirit of St. Angela that fills our hearts.”
Andrea Shurley received her Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Texas at Austin and earned her Master of Arts in English at Texas State University. She completed her Doctor of Education in Catholic Educational Leadership at University of San Francisco. She is a graduate of Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls Catholic school in Houston.
“The board of trustees is tremendously grateful to the Ursuline sisters, Gretchen Kane, and to the many members of our community who have supported and participated in this search,” Piot said. “We are especially thankful to Kara Gehan ’85, chair of the Search Committee, and to the search committee members who conducted a rigorous seven-month process evaluating a robust and diverse pool of candidates.”
“I love being part of this school community, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of the transformative growth and development of Ursuline over these past 10 years,” Shurley added. “Working closely with Gretchen Kane has been the most formative and joyful experience of my professional life.”
