Dear Ursuline Community, 

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am writing today to share news and next steps for an eventual transition in leadership at Ursuline Academy of Dallas. After exemplary discernment, Gretchen Kane has advised the Board that the end of next year (June of 2024), her twelfth as President, will be her last year at Ursuline. The Board is tremendously grateful for Gretchen’s incredible leadership over the past decade and her extraordinary vision which has positioned Ursuline education in Dallas for success in its ongoing mission for years to come.

Gretchen joined Ursuline in Fall 2012 as the first lay President in the history of our school. Her more than four decades of experience in secondary education have also included teaching and administrative roles in Jesuit education and eight years as President at Ursuline Academy New Orleans.

From the moment she arrived in Dallas, Gretchen applied an invigorating energy to every opportunity and challenge, building essential resources for growth and strengthening the foundations of school programming and operations. In addition to major investments in technology, she has championed advanced tools and training to promote excellence in teaching in a rapidly changing educational environment. And notably, her leadership for Ursuline’s current Strategic Roadmap prioritized the most ambitious comprehensive campaign in school history, now well on the way to achieving its $85 million goal and an exciting transformation of the Ursuline campus.

The most important responsibility of the Board of Trustees is to ensure continuity and strength of impactful, mission focused leadership. As we move forward with plans to select the next President, we want to assure every member of the Ursuline Dallas community that our process will be thoughtful and thorough. The Board will form a committee to manage the process and review and evaluate candidates, internal and external to Ursuline. This committee will be supported by a professional consultant retained by the Board.

I look forward to sharing more information about the selection process in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, I hope you will join me in acknowledging the contributions that Gretchen Kane has made, and will continue to make, during her tenure as President at Ursuline Academy of Dallas.

Sincerely,

Jon C. Piot
Chair
Ursuline Academy of Dallas Board of Trustees

Dear Ursuline Community,

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am pleased to share the Position Description released today by Carney, Sandoe & Associates in the search for the next President of Ursuline Academy of Dallas. The description reflects input from the Board and Search Committee members, and has also been informed by the robust community response to the President Search survey conducted earlier this month. We are very grateful to all who participated for your valuable insights and feedback.

President Position Description

Now underway, the search for candidates will be international in scope and include internal and external candidates. In the weeks ahead, the Search Committee will continue to work closely with CS&A to direct the search process and recommend candidates to the Ursuline Academy Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees will make the final recommendation of a new President, to be approved by the Ursuline Sisters.

For more information we encourage you to visit the President Search webpage. You may also contact the Search Committee directly via email. We look forward to providing you with regular updates as the new President search unfolds. 

Sincerely,

Jon C. Piot
Chair
Ursuline Academy of Dallas Board of Trustees

• Early this summer, we surveyed the Ursuline school community to discern the community’s views on priorities for the next President and determine what survey participants value most about the school. A total of 649 alumnae, parents, students, employees, and friends of Ursuline completed the survey. We deeply appreciate the valuable insights and feedback of all who participated.
   
• We then created a comprehensive position description detailing attributes and priorities for Ursuline’s next leader. The position description reflects input from Ursuline Sisters, faculty, administration, alumnae, parents, students, Board Trustees, and Search Committee members, as well as from the robust community response to the President Search survey. Upon completion of the position description, Carney Sandoe and the Search Committee began a nationwide marketing and outreach effort that continues to attract a diverse set of potential candidates.
   
• This fall, the Search Committee will interview a selection of candidates and begin a comprehensive process to identify finalists. The Committee will then schedule opportunities for Ursuline community representatives to meet the finalists.

Kara is a community volunteer who currently serves on the Ursuline Academy Board of Trustees. She previously served as co-chair of The Campaign for Ursuline: Act, Move, Believe and as a member of the Ursuline Academy Foundation Board. Kara also previously served as a member of the Board of Trustees for The Catholic Foundation and as Chair of the Advisory Board for The Catholic Center at Duke University. Kara is the parent of a 2017 Ursuline Academy alumna.

The former owner and president of Ed Bell Construction Company, Win serves as Ursuline's Owner Representative for its current $85 million capital improvement project. Win also serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees for Jesuit College Preparatory School and is a member of the boards of Bishop Lynch High School, Cristo Rey Dallas, Holy Trinity Seminary, The Notre Dame School of Dallas, Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, Shelton School, and University of Dallas. Win has also served as Chair of the Board of Catholic Charities of Dallas and as a member of the Board of Trustees for Ursuline Academy and The Catholic Foundation. Win is married to a 1982 Ursuline alumna.

Sister Lois serves as Director of Mission and Heritage for Ursuline Academy and as Prioress of the Ursuline Sisters of Dallas. She has previously served as a member of the Ursuline Academy Foundation Board and as the Director of USA Ursuline Educational Services. Sister Lois has also served in Ursuline schools as a teacher and principal in Missouri, Illinois, and Louisiana; in leadership roles for the Ursuline Sisters of the Central & Western Provinces USA; and on Ursuline international commissions.

Greg is an Audit Partner at KPMG. He previously has served as Chair of the Ursuline Academy Foundation Board and also chaired its Audit Committee. Greg has served Ursuline as President of the Ursuline Academy Parent Board, as Junior Class Representative for the Ursuline Dads Club, and as a member of the key leadership team for Ursuline’s Parent Campaign. Additionally, Greg serves as Chair of the St. Rita Catholic Community Finance Council. Greg is the parent of a 2019 Ursuline alumna and current Ursuline students in the classes of 2024 and 2027 student.

Honored with Ursuline’s Distinguished Alumna Award in 2004, Vicky has served in many leadership roles at Ursuline, most recently as co-chair of The Campaign for Ursuline: Act, Move, Believe. She has served as a member of the Ursuline Academy Board of Trustees, and is a member of the Development Committee of the Board. Vicky served as part of the leadership team of the Ursuline Academy Facing the Future Capital Campaign, and as Chair of Ursuline’s Mardi Gras Scholarship Ball. Vicky has served as Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic Foundation, and as a former active member of The Crystal Charity Ball and Dallas Symphony Orchestra League. She is the parent of two Ursuline alumnae from the classes of 1999 and 2000.

A Certified Management Accountant, Rafael is the Chief Financial Officer and a Senior Vice President for Texas Instruments, and his career at TI includes prior roles as Vice President and Corporate Controller. Additionally, Rafael serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Dallas Regional Chamber and is a member of the TI Foundation Board. Rafael currently serves Ursuline as a Class Chair for the Ursuline Parent Campaign. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Rafael served for five years as a Captain in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Rafael is the parent of a 2026 Ursuline student.

Tom is a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch, where he has resided for 30 years. He currently serves on the Finance Council for the Diocese of Dallas. Tom has also previously served as Chair of the Ursuline Academy Board of Trustees and as Board Chair of The Catholic Foundation. He also served as Chair of the 2022 Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament. All four of Tom's children proudly serve as officers in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, two of which are Ursuline alumnae from the classes of 2012 and 2013.

Stephanie is a lawyer and partner at C Three Advisory. She serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Cristo Rey Dallas. She formerly served as a member of the Ursuline Academy Foundation Board, the Ursuline Alumnae Board, and the Foundation Board of Jesuit College Preparatory School. Stephanie chaired the Ursuline Mardi Gras Scholarship Ball in 2021. She is the parent of a 2023 Ursuline alumna

Sheri is the Director of Digital Experience for the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. She has served as a member of the Ursuline Academy Alumnae Board and just completed a two-year term as President of that board. She is a member of the Community and Inclusion Committee for Ursuline’s Board of Trustees and is an incoming member of Ursuline Board of Trustees. She was a D1 track athlete at Vanderbilt University and a former assistant track coach at Ursuline.

The Chair of the Search Committee is a member of the Ursuline Academy Board of Trustees who oversees the search process. The Chair creates a committee to support the search. The Chair and Search Committee partner with an external search firm (we have selected Carney, Sandoe & Associates, or CS&A) in creating a profile of the school, and a profile of the President position. The Chair and Search Committee together with CS&A review and interview qualified candidates and select a number of semi-finalists and then finalists for the position. The Chair and Search Committee will make a recommendation for the President’s position to the Board of Trustees.

The President is the sole employee of the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees, reflecting on the recommendation of the Search Committee and through the members’ own discernment, makes the final decision on who is offered the position of the next President.

Ms. Kane’s knowledge of our school is invaluable. We will ask her to share perspectives on the school with the search consultants and with the finalist candidates. The selection of the new leader rests solely with the Board of Trustees, followed by the Ursuline Sisters’ approval.

Our search consultants, Carney, Sandoe & Associates, are a resource to the Chair and the Search Committee. They partner with the Search Committee through the President Search process – preparing a profile of the school and a description of the President’s role, using multiple avenues to promote the position, identifying qualified candidates, assisting in the interview process, and assisting through the transition process.

The Search Committee will engage various constituencies to bring valuable perspectives and insights to the search process. Community engagement will include surveys, an email address for use by constituents who may have questions or wish to share comments with the Search Committee, focus group sessions with constituent groups, and updates on the President Search page on the website.

The ultimate responsibility for the selection of the next President belongs to the Board of Trustees, followed by the Ursuline Sisters’ approval.

Please use the President Search mailbox: presidentsearch@ursulinedallas.org