Shawn Farrell is in his fifth year at Seattle University, now in his current role as Associate Athletic Director. He has introduced numerous concepts and mechanisms to insure that Seattle University's student-athletes, coaches, and athletics staff are following NCAA and university rules. Farrell also oversees the sports of men's soccer, women's soccer, men's golf, women's golf, men's tennis, and women's tennis. Additionally, he is in charge of student-athlete academic oversight. 

In his previous role at associate compliance coordinator at the University of Washington, Farrell oversaw all aspects of initial eligibility for incoming freshmen and transfers, was the athletic liaison with the UW departments of admissions and housing as well as the NCAA Eligibility Center, conducted rules education programming within the department and to outside constituencies, drafted rules violation reports and assorted NCAA waiver requests, and assisted in internal and external audits.

As a member of the Husky athletic department from January 2004 through July 2008, Farrell worked with the admissions department in authoring new student-athlete admission policies, increased the athletic department’s profile by providing outreach educational services to area sports clubs, high school, and counseling organizations, and authored numerous departmental policies and procedures.

Before entering the world of collegiate athletics, Farrell was a practicing attorney, having received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Washington School of Law in June 1998. He worked in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, at Lee, Smart, Cook, Martin & Patterson, P.S., and at Helsell Fetterman. Farrell was named a “Rising Star” by Washington Law & Politics magazine.

Farrell was a member of the Sonoma State men’s soccer program before heading to the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with a minor in marketing. While at UALR, he was an assistant volleyball coach. During the summer of 1996, he worked as a legal and marketing liaison for Atlanta Centennial Olympic Properties, enforcing international, federal, and state law regarding copyright and trademark infringement.