PHOTO BY MADISON KASPER
Ryan Romero, interim director of athletics, cuts a piece of the net as a part of the celebration after the men’s basketball team won the NCAA South Region Championship game on March 18.
Ryan Romero, who was appointed interim director of athletics in February, has always been around sports, having played basketball and baseball and practicing martial arts in his youth.
“For a lot of kids that grow up playing a sport your whole life, all of a sudden you’re not playing anymore and trying to figure out where to go from there. From my experience, it’s not so much missing the sport itself, it’s missing what we call the ‘hang’ in baseball, missing all the guys and being together,” Romero said. “So, once I finished playing, the best way to get into that was to start coaching.”
Romero, a Broward County local, has been a part of NSU Athletics for 24 years. He began as a volunteer assistant coach for the men’s baseball team in 2001, working alongside Michael Mominey, then head coach and former NSU director of athletics.
“When Michael Mominey became the athletic director, it created opportunities for me to grow into the next role as he was growing because while he was coaching, he was also the director, so he was split in time and I had to take up a lot of responsibilities to keep everything moving,” Romero said.
Romero was part of the baseball staff for 14 seasons, where he achieved nine consecutive 30+ win seasons and helped the Sharks to consecutive NCAA Championship Tournament appearances. During this time, Romero also served as the athletic equipment manager from 2009-2014. Romero transitioned to administration in 2017, serving as the associate athletic director for Athletic Facilities and External Operations until 2023.
“He’s been my boss ever since I got here. He’s taught me everything that I do now and he really paved the way for me. He’s always been on my side with anything that I need,” said Tommy Barberi, athletic operations and event manager. “He really sets a standard for everyone of what we should look like and what we’re striving for.”
He subsequently had a brief stint as the associate athletic director for athletic operations before his promotion to interim director of athletics in February 2025.
“This is a great opportunity Dr. Moon gave me, and I’m looking at it as a great experience to grow. I think our department is moving in the right direction, and I hope we continue to grow that way,” Romero said. “I want to continue to grow and see how I can help move us forward.”
Having held several different positions within NSU Athletics for almost two decades, Romero has a one-of-a-kind perspective that will help him in his new role.
“My experiences are unique to Nova Southeastern. I’ve been here so long that I remember when we didn’t have any of the things we have, so I appreciate the things we have more. When I started here, there was no pool or gym, we didn’t have anything. We had a baseball field, a softball field, and the library was just getting built. I think this makes me uniquely qualified because I’ve seen where we were, I see where we are now, and I still think we’re the best-kept secret in NCAA Division II,” Romero said.
Robert Barionel, assistant athletic director of athletic external affairs, also believes Romero’s years of experience with NSU Athletics will help him be successful in his new position.
“Very few people have been a part of this department as long as Ryan has. He’s seen generations of student-athletes come through these doors, and each of them have been impacted in some shape or form by the area that Ryan and his team have overseen,” Barionel said. “He’s seen a lot and I believe his background as a coach and an administrator make him a great fit for the future of NSU Athletics.”
Romero is looking forward to expanding and growing NSU athletics, specifically through new sports and facilities.
“We’re in a great place because we can start to add sports, I’m doing a lot of learning about lacrosse, so we’re growing to new sports and branching out to new things. We also have some opportunities to add and upgrade some facilities, which is great and something we’ve been trying to do for years,” Romero said.
Romero is confident and excited about what is to come for NSU sports and the Department of Athletics.
“In five years, I feel like we’re at least a household name at the Division II level,” Romero said.
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