[4] He also attended the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Mexico City, where he learned Spanish while living with a Mexican family,[3] as an undergraduate, and the University of California, Los Angeles for graduate school.
[9] As the provost of Johns Hopkins, Lombardi played a key role in fund-raising and in resolving a financial crisis in which the university was then embroiled.
[2] He has written numerous academic journal articles and several books on Venezuela and Latin American history and affairs, as well as on many university administration-related subjects.
[10] In addition to Latin American history classes, he has taught courses on intercollegiate sports, international business and university management.
[2] He was barely settled in his job at the beginning of the fall 1990 semester when Lombardi was confronted by one of the most serious crises in the university's history—the horrific murders of five students by serial killer Danny Rolling.
He implemented further institutional controls intended to promote the welfare and academic achievement of student-athletes and continued compliance with the rules of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA).
[4] Lombardi's enthusiasm for classic cars led him and a friend to operate Farmer's Garage, a specialty shop for older model automobiles.