In the Navy, at Notre Dame, and beyond, Andrew Shea seeks to serve

When Andrew Shea first visited South Bend, he came to cheer against Notre Dame.  A sophomore at the United States Naval Academy at the time, Shea was in South Bend to support the Navy Midshipmen in their annual football game against the Fighting Irish. 

In his own words, “Navy got smoked.” But despite a 56-14 drubbing at the hands of the Fighting Irish, Shea’s visit to South Bend left a lasting impression.

“The magic of a Notre Dame football weekend hit me right in the face,” said Shea. “I had always held Notre Dame in high regard, but that was the moment I said, ‘Let’s keep this place in the back of my mind for some time down the road. Maybe my kids will go here someday, or maybe I will.’”

After graduating from the Naval Academy, Shea served as a helicopter pilot in the Navy. Later, he worked for the Secretary of the Navy on Capitol Hill. When it came time to transition out of military service, Shea decided to pursue an MBA. His thoughts returned to the University of Notre Dame.

Choosing a university wasn’t just about the credential. He wanted to be  involved in a program that was family friendly, one where his wife Kelly would feel at ease. They looked at options on the East and West Coasts, but as soon as they visited South Bend, they were sold.

“‘Grow The Good in Business’ is a catchy marketing pitch, but the curriculum and culture of the MBA program really live up to those words,” Shea said. “Coming from a values-driven undergraduate institution and a mission-driven, ethically-oriented career, Mendoza was a natural next step. When we came for admitted students day, we immediately fell in love with the people.  My wife’s a girl from California, and she never expected to live anywhere else. But we said, let’s do it. We took a chance on Notre Dame and we loved it.”

Shea credits the “Why Business” course taught by James Otteson, John T. Ryan Jr. Professor of Business Ethics, with pushing him to think deeply about the role of business in society.

“Dr. Otteson is on my Mount Rushmore of favorite teachers and professors from any time in my academic life,” he said. “He asked us to examine if one can be fully virtuous and fully engaged in business in a market economy by reading and discussing opposing perspectives. Everyone from Adam Smith to Pope Leo XIII to Fredrich Hayek. Every single class was exceptional.”

During his time at Mendoza, Shea served as president of the MBA Military Veterans Club. He sought to deepen its connections with the University community. Previously, the club had been more of a social club. Working with former Army Apache helicopter pilot and fellow MBA student Kellen LeMasters, Shea brought other members of the university community, including civilians, into the fold.

“We didn’t want the Veteran’s Club to just be an internal-facing, veteran-to-veteran thing,” Shea said. “We wanted to engage with the University and show our classmates what it meant to serve. I feel very strongly about Notre Dame’s relationship with the military and about being part of the Vets Club. It was my way of stewarding that relationship in a way.”

The club staged panels to educate their classmates about veteran experiences of transitioning to civilian life. Some of their events had over a hundred attendees, and they raised more than $10,000 to further the club’s work.

During Shea’s second year at Mendoza, he and his wife Kelly welcomed twin boys, Ted and Jack. They were planning to have a family, but didn’t expect it to happen quite so quickly.

“We were very excited, but we very quickly realized that we were kind of by ourselves on an island in Indiana, with no family nearby,” said Shea. “But my mother and mother-in-law both came to support us, and the Mendoza community supported us, too. We made some great friends in our first year in South Bend. The Notre Dame community rallied around us and the boys from the start. We had meals showing up at our house from friends, even from some people we didn’t even know.”

When Shea graduated from Notre Dame in May 2025, he held his twins in his arms as he glided across the stage. His graduation marked the end of one chapter in his life and the beginning of a new one. Raised in a Navy family, he rarely spent long in one place as a child. He didn’t have a chance to put down roots as a naval officer either. While he liked experiencing new places, he wanted something different for his own children. He saw the deep roots his wife had in California and he wanted his own children to have a similarly strong sense of community in their own lives. Shortly after Shea graduated, the family packed their bags and moved to the Bay Area.

In his new job with McKinsey & Company, the prestigious global management consulting firm, he’ll work across a range of industries. In the long run, Shea wants to be part of the firm’s public sector consulting work. There, his efforts can benefit all Americans.

“I really like to educate people about better ways of doing things,” says Shea. “Working on Capitol Hill and chasing defense dollars really showed me there’s an opportunity to improve things. In government, the way things get done isn’t always efficient. But in public sector consulting, you have the opportunity to improve processes in a time-tested way. You can help with ways to use government funds more efficiently. It’s something that I am optimistic about.”