The NFL Ops Team

Dawn Aponte, Chief Football Administrative Officer, brings a wealth of football experience at the team and league level to the NFL. Aponte is responsible for driving Football Operations initiatives, facilitating communication and management of the day-to-day operations, and assisting in building relationships with club owners, presidents and executives.

Aponte was most recently an executive with RSE Ventures, an international sports, entertainment and tech firm co-founded by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross and club vice-chairman Matt Higgins.

Prior to RSE, she spent seven seasons with the Miami Dolphins, last serving as executive vice president of football administration. Aponte joined the Dolphins after one year as vice president of football administration with the Cleveland Browns. Before that, she spent three years as the vice president of labor finance with the NFL Management Council. Aponte started her career in football with the New York Jets, where she spent more than 15 years in various capacities, most recently as the club’s senior director of football administration.

Throughout her 25 years in football, Aponte has developed expertise in matters relating to contract negotiations, salary cap management, labor and CBA issues, and day-to-day management of the football business and administration operations.

Aponte serves on USA Football’s Board of Directors where she helps guide the sport’s national governing body in leading the game’s development for youth, high school and other amateur football players.

Aponte earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Delaware and passed the C.P.A. exam shortly thereafter. She went on to receive a master’s degree in Finance and Management from Wagner College, then continued on to earn a Juris Doctorate from New York Law School. Aponte is a member of the New York State Bar.

Perry Fewell joins the NFL Football Operations department as the SVP of Officiating Communications and Administration. Fewell oversees the day-to-day operations of the Officiating Department, including outreach to the league’s head coaches and general managers, compliance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NFL and the NFL Referees Association, and serves as a liaison to the NCAA on officiating-related matters.

Fewell has 35 years of coaching experience, including 22 in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars (twice), St. Louis Rams, Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, Washington Football Team and Carolina Panthers. Fewell was the defensive coordinator for the Giants for the team’s 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

Prior to the NFL, Fewell spent 13 years coaching at the college level, where he coached at Vanderbilt University, two stints at Army, Kent State and the University of North Carolina.

Fewell lettered from 1980-83 as a defensive back at Lenoir-Rhyne University (N.C.) and he was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2011. He also lettered in football and track at South Point High School in Belmont, N.C., and was inducted into the Belmont Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. Fewell was inducted into the Gaston County (N.C.) Hall of Fame in June 2012.

As Senior Vice President of Football Operations Policy and Compliance, Dave Gardi employs a unique combination of legal background and a lifetime of football knowledge to ensure that all football operations are in compliance with policy, process and rules.

Gardi is the gatekeeper of policies and procedures that control competitive balance, where he utilizes a Juris Doctorate in Law from Hofstra as the watchdog over integrity of the game policies, and rules administration on game day. As a former quarterback for Brown University, Gardi is also a driving force in communicating the department’s accountability initiatives to clubs, coaches and players.

“It is of utmost importance to every club, its owners, coaches, players and our fans that the rules of football and the policies impacting the game be communicated with clarity, consistency, and credibility,” says Gardi. “Moreover, there must be a fair and level playing field to ensure competitive balance, resulting in a world-class contest with every game.”

A devoted husband and father of two, Gardi began his journey with the NFL in 2003. Prior to joining Football Operations, he served as Vice President of Labor Relations and Football Administration where he advised clubs on matters related to the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, including player contracts, salary cap, club discipline, League policies, and workers compensation.

“Dave has parlayed a strong family football pedigree with playing experience and a law degree to provide our department with not only a deep understanding of the game, but also what it takes to keep it fair, balanced and competitive,” said Troy Vincent Sr., Executive Vice President of Football Operations. “Dave knows the business of football, knows football, and knows how to administer the game, and that’s a powerful combination.”

Tracy Perlman, Senior Vice President of Player Operations, began her career with the NFL the day after she graduated from Hofstra University in 1992. 

Perlman leads the marketing and communications of all programs, benefits and resources available across the football community. These efforts positively impact relationships and enhance goodwill for the NFL and its 32 member clubs with coaches, prospects, current players and Legends.

Perlman builds relationships with, and establishes connections between, current players and NFL Legends. She works with players to enhance their images and drive their initiatives by sharing their off-field stories. Her team develops partnerships with incoming NFL rookies to welcome them to the NFL family.

Her team created the NFL Legends Podcast, an unscripted podcast where players and Legends have honest, candid conversations about the challenges and benefits of life off the field and after their football career.

Perlman serves as the contact for players on league-wide initiatives, including “My Cause, My Cleats,” and she has developed events for players at NFL events and assists players and Legends in building their own brands. 

In 2013, in partnership with Player Engagement and the Commissioner’s office, she created the NFL Legends Community. The Legends Community celebrates, embraces and connects all former players with each other, their former teams and the NFL. The NFL Legends Community, the league’s central resource for former players, provides opportunities for Legends to engage with each other year-round — in person and through social media — through team events, educational programs and professional development, total wellness and networking opportunities. Perlman oversees the 24 Legends directors and coordinators who work as peer-to-peer advisors for the more than 10,000 former players who have registered with the NFL Legends Community.  

Before joining Football Operations, Perlman was NFL Vice President of Entertainment and Marketing. In that role, Perlman organized and promoted the Super Bowl halftime show, one of the most-watched events, each year. Her crowning achievement was booking U2 and overseeing their iconic performance at halftime of Super Bowl XXXVI — the first Super Bowl to be played after the September 11 attacks. She also oversaw the creation of the NFL Kickoff Concert event, booked players on Dancing with the Stars, collaborated with the makers of the movies “Draft Day” and “The Blind Side,” and launched “Lombardi” the play.

In 2014, Perlman was named as one of Billboard’s Power 100, and, in 2012, was named one of Sports Business Journal’s Game Changers.

Akil Coad, Vice President, Football Operations and Compliance, is responsible for enforcing uniform and equipment rules and on-field policy. He serves on the Footwear Committee, working closely with licensees to improve the quality of footwear for NFL players. Coad has represented Football Operations by overseeing game operations for Pro Bowl and as a team liaison for the Super Bowl and the International Series in London. 

Coad is entering his 20th NFL season and his 16th season with the NFL League office in New York City. He began his NFL career in 2001 as an Operations Assistant with the New York Jets. After four years with the Jets, Coad joined Football Operations as Manager of Football Administration and spent four seasons with NFL Europe.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in sports management at West Virginia University.

Stephanie Durante, Vice President of Game Operations, works closely with all 32 clubs to protect the equity and integrity of the game through policy management, education and compliance. Her responsibilities include monitoring stadium preparations for all team and NFL needs, such as building facilities, field, coaches’ booths, video locations, locker rooms, football technology and more. Durante is the main point of contact in the Game Day Operations Center where all games are being monitored. She advises senior executives from clubs and the NFL on all gameday-related matters.

Durante oversees participating team operations for the Super Bowl, which includes identifying practice sites, team headquarter hotels, spillover hotels, team logistics and stadium operations on gameday.

In her fifteenth season at the NFL, Durante joined Football Operations in 2007 as the administrative assistant to the Director of Game Operations and has remained in the Game Operations department throughout her career.

Durante earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Rider University.

Nyaka NiiLampti, Ph.D., is the Vice President of Wellness and Clinical Services. She is responsible for implementing and expanding the Total Wellness platform and ensuring a holistic approach to the care of players and members of the NFL family.

The Total Wellness platform includes overall wellness, family safety, healthy lifestyle development and transition support through clinical resources, education and awareness efforts, peer-to-peer connections, research, and an overall proactive approach. Dr. NiiLampti is charged with developing, managing and promoting all aspects of Total Wellness along with internal and external stakeholders, active players and Legends, NFL club and league staff, player support systems, governing bodies and the broader community. 

Dr. NiiLampti is a licensed psychologist with 20 years of clinical experience, and has worked extensively with organizations, sports teams, individuals and families in a variety of settings, including community mental health, college counseling centers, and private practice. She most recently served as the Director of Player Wellness for the NFL Players Association, where she focused on providing resources and educating players on all aspects of wellness and served as an advocate for players by ensuring their rights are protected under the NFL drug policies.

Before joining the NFLPA, Dr. NiiLampti was a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Psychology at Queens University of Charlotte, where she taught undergraduate courses in multiple areas and served as the Faculty Athletic Representative to the NCAA.

During that time, she also provided comprehensive services in private practice, focused primarily on athlete well-being and performance related concerns as well as serving as a treating clinician for the NFL and as an approved clinician for the NBA/NBPA.

Her research focused on multiculturalism and mental health, particularly as those concepts relate to issues of resiliency and success, and she provided local and national trainings, workshops and lectures on a variety of topics, including aspects of cultural diversity and identity, athletes and mental health, and student-athlete transition. 

A former track and field college student-athlete, Nyaka has a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, master’s degree with a concentration in sports psychology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and doctorate in clinical psychology from Temple University.

Jon Runyan, Vice President of Policy and Rules Administration, oversees club and game-related initiatives related to players. He serves as Commissioner Roger Goodell’s designee for on-field discipline and supervises the uniform and protective equipment inspection program. His approach to decreasing on-field violations emphasizes communication, consistent application of the rules and player education. Runyan works closely with groups across the league, including the Competition Committee, Player Safety Advisory Panel, head coaches and team equipment managers. Runyan has served in this role since 2016.

Runyan earned a scholarship to the University of Michigan, becoming the first person in his family to attend college. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in 1996 and went on to have a successful NFL career with the Oilers/Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles and San Diego Chargers, including making the Pro Bowl in 2002. He was the last active player to play for the Houston Oilers.

After retiring from the NFL in 2010, Runyan served New Jersey’s Third Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015.

A member of the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame, Runyan is involved in many charities and organizations that benefit the South Jersey/Philadelphia area, including the New Jersey Special Olympics, American Red Cross, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, USO, Armed Forces Freedom Ride and Habitat for Humanity. He also served on the board of the Alzheimer’s Association of Delaware Valley.

Jon Berger, Vice President of Instant Replay, oversees the development, training, and evaluation of replay staff, as well as developing a pipeline of prospective replay officials. Coming from a club environment, Berger brings a unique viewpoint to replay and officiating.

Berger communicates with club and league personnel to answer questions regarding replay and rules and serves as one of the gameday decision-makers in the Art McNally Gameday Central.

Berger previously spent 34 years with the New York Giants in a variety of roles and was a member of four Super Bowl winning teams.  As Senior Director of Football Information, he was responsible for game management and conveying football rules knowledge and situational awareness to coaches and players. 

Prior to that role, Berger served as the Director of Information Technology for the Giants. He was a founding member of the league’s Technical Advisory Committee and aided in the development of Game Statistics & Information System (GSIS).

Berger earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and applied mathematics from the University at Albany.