Michael Montalbano, adjunct assistant teaching professor at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday (Nov. 7) at his home in South Bend, Indiana. He was 66.

The South Bend native taught undergraduate and graduate management courses at Notre Dame since 2015. He was a business executive with more than 40 years of experience in marketing, strategy and executive development, holding leadership positions from vice president of marketing to president and CEO. He served on numerous boards and as the managing director of Verso Ministries, a Catholic pilgrimage company that organizes travel to sacred sites worldwide. In 2018, he founded Imprenditori, a company that supports entrepreneurs in growing their ventures.

Montalbano was a graduate of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. He later earned a Master of Business Administration from Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Mendoza College of Business hosted a walk to the Grotto and a prayer service for students, faculty and staff in Montalbano’s honor on Wednesday (Nov. 8) with faculty chaplain Rev. Frank Murphy, C.S.C., presiding. Students recalled Montalbano’s deep authenticity, his gift for mentorship and his genuine care for them as individuals.

“Mr. Montalbano was a great mentor and friend,” said Matthew Potter, a senior accountancy student at Mendoza. “I will really miss the dinners he hosted for some of us in the Marine Corps ROTC host family program and all the amazing advice and stories he had to offer.”

“Mike went out of his way to host student gatherings at his house,” said Craig Crossland, senior associate dean for programs at Mendoza College of Business. “He would often invite more than a dozen students at a time from his undergraduate and graduate classes to join himself and his wife for dinner and community building. He truly loved Notre Dame and our students.”

Montalbano was well-known and respected for his contributions to the local community, including organizing literary events, participating in local literary organizations and supporting literacy programs for underprivileged youth.

Montalbano is survived by his wife, Susan; three sons, Vincent (Millicent) Montalbano of Austin, Texas, Thomas (Emily) Montalbano of Fort Mill, South Carolina, and Dominic (Angela) Montalbano of Holliston, Massachusetts; and seven grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 2:30 p.m. Monday (Nov. 13) in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Inurnment will follow in Cedar Grove Cemetery. His obituary is available here.