Shane Elder joined the American staff in July of 2022 and was promoted to senior director of football operations and sport administration in 2025.
Elder assists in the overall management and administration of all of the American's football initiatives and programs, including regular-season operational policies and coordination of all aspects of the conference's annual football championship game. He additionally serves as the staff administrator for select Olympic sports.
Before joining the American, Elder had served as assistant athletic director for football operations at the University of North Texas since 2016 and held a similar role at UTSA from 2014-16 after initially joining the Roadrunners' staff as director of football operations in 2009.
Elder was an administrative assistant for recruiting for Texas A&M's football program for seven years. He also has worked in the corporate communications department of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks for one summer.
Elder holds a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and a master's degree in sport management from Texas A&M.