Dawn Aponte

Vice President, Football Administration

Dawn Aponte joined the Browns organization this offseason after spending the last three years at the NFL office, where she served on the League’s Management Council as the Vice President of Labor Finance. In her current role with the Browns, Aponte’s primary responsibilities include player contract negotiations, salary cap management and player cost budgeting, League compliance, and assisting in other legal matters. Aponte is the key liaison with the NFL Management Council and works closely with Head Coach Eric Mangini on football administrative matters.

In her position at the NFL Management Council, Aponte represented the 32 clubs in dealings with the NFL Players Association and Class Counsel on salary cap and other labor related matters. She also dealt with the clubs on CBA, salary cap and player contract matters. Aponte served on the Management Council Working Club Executive Committee and worked with the ten-member owner committee (Management Council Executive Committee) on collective bargaining issues and labor related matters.‪

Prior to joining the league office, Aponte worked for the New York Jets for nearly 15 years in various capacities, most recently as the club’s Senior Director of Football Administration. In this role, she worked closely with the Assistant General Manager on matters pertaining to the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, player contract negotiations and salary cap management.‪

Aponte graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Delaware in 1993 and passed the C.P.A. exam shortly thereafter. She went on to receive her Master's degree in Finance and Management from Wagner College in 1999, then continued on to earn her Juris Doctorate from New York Law School and is a member of the New York State Bar.

Dawn and her husband, Kevin, have four children: Matthew, Madison, Caroline and Thomas.