Advisory Board
Dave Torromeo
Dave Torromeo has served as the head of the Sports Business Management Program at Manhattanville College since its inception in July 2006. He has over 30 years of experience in the sports business, including serving as VP of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, (NFF), 15 years in collegiate athletics, and as an industry consultant. He has worked in nearly every capacity of the sports world, from a minor league team to a D-I athletic program and the Football Foundation. He is also a consultant to the sports industry and the founder of Future Sports Business Executives and the Sports Business Institute.
As the architect of the graduate sports business management program, he assembled the entire curriculum, hired all adjunct professors from the sports business field, and installed a top-notch advisory board with senior executives from the sports industry. He devised and implemented a graduate-level internship program, brought in outstanding guest speakers including senior executives from the sports world, provided on-site field study at major sports venues, and created a solid mission.
At the NFF he played a crucial role in awarding Jackie Robinson the Gold Medal Award, the highest honor that Foundation bestows. He was instrumental in spearheading the program that allowed athletes from colleges other than major college football entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame (players from Divisions I-AA, II, III, and the NAIA) and was a catalyst behind the Foundation's "PLAY IT SMART" program; an educational program that works to turn football teams from inner-city environments into learning teams, while overseeing the scholar-athlete program (and a 10M endowment) that honored players from all levels and included people such as Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel, Tiki Barber, Josh Bloom, Peyton Manning, and many others.
Before joining the NFF, Torromeo served as a Sports Information Director (SID) and Assistant Athletic Director for Communications, Marketing, Promotions, and Fund Raising for over 10 years including six at Iona College. He is also the sports content provider for Latin Business Today and sits on several boards including Ballpark Memories, Latella Neuromuscular Training Systems, LLC, and FSBE Academy.
Torormeo earned his undergraduate degree(s) from the University of Rhode Island and a Master's Degree from Iona College. He lives in New Canaan, CT with his wife Laurie having raised their two children as NC Rams, Stephanie a Junior at Colgate
Kevin M. Hallinan
Kevin M. Hallinan is known as an innovative leader in professional sports security and operations. Serving under four commissioners as SVP of Security and Facility Management, Hallinan oversaw security for all thirty Major League Baseball Clubs, creating revolutionary new systems to better protect the game and its players. On USA Today’s list of “Baseball’s Most Influential People,” Hallinan served as chairman of the TEAM Coalition, and as a member of the New York State Policy Study Committee on Terrorism and the Police Executive Research Forum. Prior to MLB, Hallinan was commander of the FBI/NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force, where he was recognized for his contributions to the war on terrorism. He testified before the U.S. Congress on domestic terrorism and received numerous NYPD/FBI citations and the U.S. Attorney General Award for Exceptional Public Service. Hallinan earned his collegiate degree at Fordham University and attended the FBI National Academy.
Matt Merullo
A member of the 1983 USA High School Team, Matt attended the University of North Carolina. Matt was a Baseball America All American Prospect at the University of North Carolina. As a member of TEAM USA Matt hit a grand slam against the Japanese during the Intercontinental Cup for a 6-4 victory. He played in the prestigious Cape Cod League for the country’s top college players in 1984. Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 7th round of the 86 draft, Matt went on to win championships and a batting title while attaining All Star Status at each minor league level. A backup catcher to Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk Matt played 10 years at the Professional level and 6 in the Major Leagues. Matt’s expertise covers all facets of the game. As a major league catcher for three teams and over 16 years of Professional Baseball, Matt has trained under numerous coaches. Having successfully rehabilitated 1 knee and three elbow operations, Matt knows about physical therapy and building strength from a players perspective. His pitching/throwing development programs are a direct result of the times spent with both players and coaches at all levels of Professional Baseball. Rick Peterson Major League Pitching Coach, formerly of the Oakland Athletics and currently with the New York Mets is a close personal and professional friend and they continually exchange thoughts on pitching and all changes in theory. Currently in addition to his developmental work with baseball players, Matt is an area Scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks. This comes as no surprise to baseball enthusiasts as Matt is the son of Pittsburgh Pirates farmhand Len “Boots” Merullo, and the grandson of Lennie Merullo Sr, a legendary scout in the Northeast, and former Major Leaguer with the Chicago Cubs’45 World Series Team. Matt his wife Chris and their three children, Allie, Nick and Carli live in Madison CT.