Biography
Yale gave Ursula Burton something she treasured from the moment she arrived: a remarkable community. During those formative years, she bonded with people across a wide range of interests and backgrounds- from Varsity Crew rowers, to actors in the Dramat, to musicians in the Carillon Guild, ringing bells high up in Harkness Tower. Those bonds have continued to shape and sustain her throughout a career in a demanding industry. Burton volunteers to keep building that community, so other alums feel that same sense of connection and belonging.
Burton’s service spans three decades. A long-standing member of the Class of '88 Committee, she has helped plan reunions in New Haven and events that keep classmates connected in between- mini-reunions across the country and milestone birthday celebrations. As a Founding Board Member of the YaleWomen Governing Council and YaleWomenLA, Burton co-chaired programming, had a column in the Global Newsletter, and moderated a panel at the Inaugural Global Conference. As a Board Member of the Yale Club of LA, she created BlueReads- a free series pairing books with live experiences. For her 35th Reunion, she produced and directed Creatives on Creating, a documentary featuring 34 disparate classmates- including performers, scientists, a potter, an architectural historian, and a coffee enthusiast- each reflecting on creativity. It was, at its heart, an act of community- the same impulse that has driven all her volunteer work.
As an actor, filmmaker, professor, and someone who has spent a career opening doors for others, Burton is honored to bring that commitment to the YAA Board of Governors. Her goal is to help every alum feel, wherever they are in life, what she felt arriving in New Haven: that the Yale community is here for all of us.
