Ellen Ferris was promoted to her current position of senior associate commissioner for governance and compliance in July of 2021. Ferris joined the American as an associate commissioner in October of 2013.
Ferris oversees all compliance and governance matters for the conference and provides leadership and guidance to the American’s member institutions in the practical application of NCAA compliance issues.
Ferris is the current chair of the NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee and a staff liaison to The American’s Faculty Athletics Representatives Committee, the Racial Equality Action Group, the University Legal Counsel Committee and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She also works closely with the conference’s Senior Woman Administrators and has been instrumental in the development of the American’s Academic Consortium and Symposium.
Ferris joined the American from the University of Southern California, where she served as associate vice president for athletic compliance. She joined the USC staff in 2006 and was promoted to her most recent position in 2010.
Ferris’ role at USC included supervision of nine full-time staff members, the creation of a strategic plan for the compliance office and investigation of potential rules violations. She was responsible for providing counsel and instruction regarding implementation of NCAA and Pac-12 Conference rules and she served on the Provost Oversight Committee for Athletic Academic Affairs. She also served as the coordinator for USC’s Academic Progress Program.
Before joining the staff at USC, Ferris served for more than three years at the NCAA, including one year as associate director of membership services. She served as a staff liaison to Division I institutions in the athletics certification process and presented rules education sessions at conference meetings and regional compliance seminars.
Ferris additionally spent three academic years as assistant commissioner for compliance services at the Big Sky Conference, where she also served as the league’s Senior Woman Administrator.
Ferris was named chair of the NCAA Division I Infractions Appeal Committee in September of 2020. She is also a member of the professional development committee of the National Association of Athletic Compliance and has served as a member of the NAAC Reasonable Standards Committee, the NCAA Division I Legislative Review and Interpretations Committee, the Division I Management Council and the Division I Men’s Tennis Committee.
Ferris holds an undergraduate degree in education from Texas State University-San Marcos and a master’s degree in sport management from the United States Sports Academy. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Southern Methodist University and was admitted to the Texas State Bar in 1999.