ELITE Faculty & Staff - Fort Worth Academy

Academic Leadership

Shannon Elders, Head of School

Ed. D., Leadership and Learning in Organizations, Vanderbilt University
HBX, Harvard Business School CORe: Credential of Readiness
M.S., Speech-Language Pathology, University of Central Arkansas
B.A., Speech-Language Pathology, Harding University

Shannon has served as Head of School of Fort Worth Academy since 2017. Prior to FWA, she served as Upper School Head at Currey Ingram Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee. Shannon’s experience along with her various roles in school leadership continue to inspire her love of learning and empowering those around her. Shannon currently serves on the boards of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest, Texas Private Schools Association, and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, TX.
Shannon and her husband, Skip, have two children, Tommy, a junior at the University of Arkansas and Kennedy, a sophomore at Sewanee, the University of the South.
Shannon’s favorite part of working at Fort Worth Academy is seeing students experience the joy of learning.

Kathy Uhr, Head of Lower School and K-8 Academic Programs

B.S., Business Management, Virginia Tech
M.A., Teaching, Johns Hopkins University

Kathy has served in leadership roles for the last fourteen years at Fort Worth Academy. She has presented at state and international conferences and led educational workshops and training for project-based learning, design thinking, and cross-curricular teaching. She has served as a member of several Advanced Ed accreditation review teams.
Outside of the classroom, Kathy loves to travel to new places, explore cities, spend time in the mountains, scuba dive, hike, and ski.
Kathy’s favorite part of working at FWA is the connections made with the students and their families, and collaborating with the staff and faculty.

Bret Hendrickson, Dean of Students

B.S., Meteorology, University of Oklahoma

Bret has served as an educator and athletic coach at Fort Worth Academy for the past 15 years. Three years ago, he took on the role of Dean of Students to better serve all students from kindergarten to eighth grade. Bret believes every child is unique and deserves a caring, inspiring, and engaging atmosphere in which to grow emotionally, intellectually, and socially. He works with faculty and staff to develop positive, risk-taking, collaborative environments for students to grow and thrive in. He leads by example and stresses positive character and leadership traits. Outside of school, Bret enjoys playing sports with his two children, stormchasing, mountain biking, and adventure travel destinations.