By Amy White
The Texas Catholic
Before stepping into the role of president at Ursuline Academy of Dallas, Dr. Andrea Shurley, Ed.D., served the community for a decade as its principal. During that time, she fell in love with the mission of the school, encapsulated in its motto, Serviam, “I will serve.”
“What that means is we all begin every day and every project and every vision for something new and different with this question of: How are we serving?” Shurley said.
This year, as she undertakes the role of president, Shurley continues to keep this mission in mind: “How are we serving our students? How are we serving our mission as an Ursuline school and our heritage and our tradition?”
Shurley is an alumna of Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls school in Houston, where she graduated in 1990, before earning her undergraduate degree in English at The University of Texas at Austin in 1994, her master’s degree in English at Southwest Texas State University now Texas State University — San Marcos in 1996, and her Doctor of Education degree in Catholic Educational Leadership at University of San Francisco in 2015.
Initially pursuing a career in technology, Shurley soon felt called to put her talents towards education instead. In 2001, Shurley joined the Schools of the Sacred Heart in San Francisco, where she served as dean of academics at the all-boys Stuart Hall High School for seven years and as upper school head of school at the all-girls Convent of the Sacred Heart High School for four years.
“And then the opportunity arose here at Ursuline,” Shurley said. “From the second I stepped on campus, I was just in love, absolutely enthralled, and felt welcomed and at home—all the things that I treasured from my own experience as a student but also my experience with working at the Sacred Heart schools.”
Shurley joined Ursuline in 2014 as principal, a role she occupied for 10 years. During that time, she worked alongside then-president Gretchen Kane to grow and improve their school community.
“In the last 10 years, we’ve had incredible generosity from our community that allowed us to build some very exciting additions to the campus,” Shurley said. “I’m really, really proud of the growth the school has undertaken in developing faculty and really elevating our professional growth and professional learning opportunities. We have been focusing on ensuring that Ursuline is an environment where students thrive.”
As Shurley transitions from her position as principal to president, she retains gratitude for the place that has allowed her to professionally grow and thrive.
“It seemed like the ultimate gift to be able to stay here,” she said. “I have been just so moved by the outreach from people I know, people I’ve never met, people offering prayers and support. Just knowing that this is such a warm and loving place and that we have generous prayers flowing in support not just of me but of our students and our teachers and, of course, the Ursuline Sisters… It’s so beautiful.”
Following Shurley’s move to the president position, Elizabeth Smith has stepped into the role of interim principal at the school. Smith had served Ursuline Academy as dean of academics from 2016-2024 and “knows the students, knows the faculty, knows the curriculum, knows the mission, and is a really beloved leader,” Shurley said.
“Dr. Shurley is a visionary, a steward of the Ursuline legacy, and the north star for the school,” Smith shared. “She embodies a Serviam spirit, abiding faith, and excellence. At the same time, she inspires innovation to those around her while keeping our feet firmly planted in the rich soil of Ursuline’s traditions.”
Mandy Briones, who serves as Ursuline’s dean of students, described Shurley as a champion for girls’ education, adding that it is a “supreme gift for our young women to see Ursuline values modeled daily by their school president.”
“She not only embraces but also embodies our Ursuline Portrait of a Graduate: she is a woman of faith and service, a lifelong learner, and an innovative thinker,” Briones said. “She is a woman who builds community, engages the world beyond Ursuline, and celebrates the uniqueness of all our members.”
As president, Shurley looks toward the future with hope and excitement for the community she loves—and with a spirit of service befitting an Ursuline leader.
“In my role as president,” she said, “it is my responsibility but also my joy to ensure that we are meeting our mission and every day serving our girls and meeting the community’s needs and wants through that incredible lens of our Catholic faith and our Ursuline charism.”
Editor’s note: Find more stories about new administrators and coverage celebrating Catholic schools in the Diocese of Dallas in our Aug. 23 print edition.
