Speakers

PRESIDENT, TANDEM SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT

For 25 years, Jim has represented professional athletes in a range of matters—from player contract negotiations to advertising and marketing contracts. He is certified as an agent by both the National Basketball Players Association and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association. Recognized several times in Washingtonian’s list of “Top Lawyers” for media and sports law, Jim has also been selected twice by Sports Illustrated as one of the “101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports.”

In addition to professional athletes, Jim also represents a number of broadcasters and professional and college coaches in employment contract negotiations. He was a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received his BA in 1990, going on to earn his JD from the University of Chicago. Before founding Tandem, Jim worked as an attorney at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher &. Flom, before becoming a partner at Williams & Connolly LLP. Jim is admitted to the bars of Illinois and the District of Columbia.

PRINCIPAL FOUNDER & CEO, THE SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT GROUP

Adisa Bakari is the Principal Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Sports & Entertainment Group. Mr. Bakari counsels professional athletes with respect to the negotiation of player and marketing contracts, in addition to various other aspects of their athletic and post-athletic careers. He is certified as a Contract Advisor/Agent by the National Football League Players Association and National Basketball Players Association.

FOUNDER & PRESIDENT, THE SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT GROUP

Jeffery Whitney is a Founder and the President of The Sports & Entertainment Group. Mr. Whitney counsels and advises professional athletes with respect to the negotiation of player and marketing contracts in addition to various other aspects of their athletic and post-athletic careers. He is a certified NFLPA Contract Advisor/Agent and an International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Player Agent. Mr. Whitney serves as a mentor to students and young professionals, and is also a frequent speaker at sports industry events. Prior to joining the agency, Mr. Whitney counseled clients on a variety of business matters including real estate, commercial transactions, and labor and employment matters.

SENIOR NFL AGENT, KLUTCH SPORTS GROUP

Kelton L. Crenshaw, Esq. began his career in experiential marketing creating signature events for brands such as Nike, Sprite and Starz Network. Crenshaw, along with colleagues Richard Paul and Edward Givens, launched a marketing and promotions company. The company, Eighty81, went on to become one of the premiere promotional marketing agencies in the Midwest. Crenshaw credits his strong network of influencers and personal relationships with many professional athletes to his time in the promotion’s business. In the midst of working in promotions and branding Kelton graduated from Cleveland Marshall College of Law and is licensed to practice law in the State of New York. After passing the bar, Kelton began leveraging his sports business knowledge to help make the transition into player representation. Kelton is currently working as an NFL agent for Klutch Sports Group, where he represents clients like Chase Young, Devonta Smith, DeAndre Hopkins and Montez Sweat among others.

DIRECTOR, MARKETING STRATEGY,
OCTAGON

With a flourishing career spanning six years in the sports industry, Allie Grayson has emerged as a distinct voice representing the next generation of sports marketers. Grayson’s background includes a unique blend of experience in marketing, public relations, diversity and inclusion, and social media. In her current role as Director of Marketing Strategy for Octagon Basketball, Grayson oversees the holistic brand management of Octagon’s NBA, WNBA and NIL clients, incorporating a combination of marketing, PR, social media, and philanthropy with the goal of building, developing, and maximizing an athlete's brand on and off the court. In 2022, Allie was recognized by Sports Business Journal for their New Voices Under 30 award, which recognizes the young, diverse and impactful leaders, entrepreneurs, risk-takers and disrupters who are re-imagining the sports experience and the way business is done.

NFL AGENT, KLUTCH SPORTS GROUP

Aaron Henderson is an NFL Agent at KLUTCH Sports, the powerhouse sports agency representing some of the biggest athletes across major professional sports. With over a decade of experience in the sports industry, Aaron has been privileged to work with many NFL athletes, resulting in over $300 million in contract negotiations.

In 2017, he became one of the few agents in NFL history to represent a Top 100 NFL Draft pick while still enrolled in law school. That same year, Front Office Sports honored Aaron as one of its “Rising 25” sports executives, age 25 and under.

Aaron holds a B.S. in Sport and Entertainment Management from the University of South Carolina, an MBA and Masters in Sports Administration from Ohio University, and a J.D. from Southwestern Law School. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Alexia.

VP, FOOTBALL, INDEPENDENT SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Upon concluding an NFL playing career and becoming an NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor in 2013, Jovan Barnes brings a great deal of experience, expertise and football credibility to Independent Sports & Entertainment. Jovan specializes in contract negotiation research, draft preparation and client acquisition. Whether it’s an on or off-the-field concern, he makes certain all issues are handled. Jovan oversees the line-by-line details of all contract preparation and negotiation, as well as a wide variety of player development matters which arise during the pre-draft process. His unique ability to understand and adjust to the complex issues associated with the professional athletes life has made him an invaluable asset to the ISE team. Jovan received his bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University in 2005 and went on to earn a master’s degree from Indiana University in 2013.

Notable Clients: Allen Robinson, Dante Fowler Jr., Nelson Agholor, Henry Ruggs III, & Michael Onwenu.

NFLPA CERTIFIED CONTRACT ADVISOR,
1 OF 1 AGENCY

Jumaane has been in the sports and entertainment for over 20 years. He began his professional career in the entertainment space and has negotiated multi-million dollar deals with some of the largest record and film companies for major recording artists and actors. He has also produced and financed several films. Jumaane recently became certified with the NFLPA and has already negotiated several player contracts in the NFL. An entrepreneur by nature, Jumaane stresses the importance of life after football to his clients. He also stresses the value of leveraging relationships while playing football. Jumaane also values the importance of honesty and integrity in relationships. He runs a non-profit organization that helps place at-risk children in prestigious boarding schools throughout the country. He played defensive back at Stony Brook University and earned his law degree from Fordham University School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Texas and New York. Jumaane is based Houston, Texas.

GENERAL COUNSEL, D.C. UNITED

Jessica Wright is General Counsel for multiple entities including D.C. United, a Major League Soccer team; Loudoun United F.C., a United Soccer League team; Audi Field, a 20,000-seat stadium in Washington DC; and Segra Field, a 5,000-seat stadium in Loudoun County, VA. Jessica’s responsibilities include matters related to the teams, venues, employees, new investors, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance across the entire organization. In her current role, she has worked to bring the XFL back to Audi Field; open the FanDuel Sportsbook at Audi Field; secure the two separate front of jersey deals including the first cryptocurrency related front of jersey sponsorship deal in MLS; open and handle the naming rights deal for the Inova Performance Center, a state-of-the-art training facility in Loudoun County that is home to D.C. United, Loudoun United F.C., and the Washington Spirit; bring in some of the biggest names in the sport as players and coaches; and secure and execute the 2023 MLS All-Star Game at Audi Field. She is also currently engaged in building a high-rise residential building with an entertainment venue on the ground floor adjacent to Audi Field, investigating building another stadium in the DMV, and creating/obtaining additional franchises. Prior to accepting her current role, Jessica was an associate attorney at a small firm in Manhattan Beach, CA where she practiced in the fields of business, intellectual property, and real estate law. Jessica has been a mediator since 1997 and a trained arbitrator since 2015. She obtained her bachelor's degree in Psychology from San Diego State University, J.D. from Southwestern Law School, LL.M. in Entertainment and Media Law from Southwestern Law School, and M.B.A. from California State University, Monterey Bay.