Ellen O'Brien enters her fifth year at Marymount ahead of the 2026-27 athletics year. She was promoted to Deputy Director of Athletics in the summer of 2026, after holding the title of Associate Athletics Director for Compliance since arriving on campus. She is also the Senior Woman Administrator for the department, a title given to the highest-ranking female in an NCAA athletics department. O'Brien also serves as a Title IX Deputy for Marymount University.
In addition to her NCAA compliance and eligibility oversight responsibilities, O'Brien oversees 14 of Marymount's 25 varsity sports (men's and women's volleyball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track and field, men's and women's lacrosse, and men's and women's swimming).
She was selected to serve on the NCAA Division III Committee on Infractions in September 2025.
O'Brien came to Marymount after spending 10 years as the Associate Commissioner/SWA of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). While there, she was responsible for eligibility, event planning, accounting, and the conference grant program, alongside leading educational opportunities for conference members.Â
During her time at the CACC, she served as the conference's liaison to the CACC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), the CACC Senior Woman Administrators, and to the CACC Compliance Coordinators.
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Prior to O'Brien's arrival at the CACC, she spent two years at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa. During her time there, she served in various administrative capacities in the athletic department, while also serving as an assistant for the women's basketball team.Â
O'Brien earned her Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Ithaca College, where she served in the role of graduate assistant for the athletics department, assisting with game operations and supervision of student athletic staff.
O'Brien earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sports Management and Psychology from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, graduating cum laude. While at Denison, she was a four-year member of the women's basketball team, garnering three All-NCAC accolades. In her senior year, O'Brien served as a team captain and was the NCAA DIII Women's Basketball Statistical Champion in the assist/turnover ratio category (4.37). She remains the career assist leader for the Denison Women's Basketball program with 461 assists.
O'Brien was inducted into the Denison University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024 and into the Walt Whitman (Md.) High School Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.
