Meet The Panelists

Alison Wagner is a seasoned transactional attorney with over 20 years of experience in professional sports. During her career, she has advised clients from the National Football League, National Hockey League and Arena Football League on a wide range of domestic and international matters including event execution, ticketing, media and sponsorship rights, labor law and business development.

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She joined the National Football League in the fall of 2021 and serves as the lead attorney on all major NFL domestic events including the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl Games and NFL Draft as well as lead counsel on all security transactional matters. Alison services the NFL’s Club Business Development group and assists the League and Clubs on ticketing matters. In her tenure with the NFL, she has navigated hosting the NFL’s first Super Bowl in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2024 and the attendance record-breaking 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit, Michigan. She has worked closely with various local host and organizing committees to secure NFL’s tentpole event locations through 2028.

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Prior to the NFL, Alison spent 13 years with the National Hockey League where she drafted and negotiated all venue, vendor, talent and consultant agreements for NHL domestic and international special events matters involving the NHL All Star Game and NHL Draft, the NHL Winter Classic and NHL Stadium Series outdoor games, the NFL China Games and European Global Series of games and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and was a key negotiator with several iconic venues hosting those events including Michigan Stadium, Yankee Stadium, Dodger Stadium, Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. She was also part of the negotiating team in connection with the NHL’s current media rights deals with Turner and ESPN.

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She received her bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College and her law degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Alison is an active member of the NFL’s Community Teammates and other Employee Resource Groups.

Ashley is the Director of Operations for Glushon Sports Management in Los Angeles, CA.

Caren is the Deputy General Counsel Legal and Business Affairs at Atlanta Hawks.

Caroline is entering her third season as an in-house attorney with the Sacramento Kings. Caroline interprets the NBA’s CBA and Operations Manual to advise departments across the team on various activations. Additionally, Caroline drafts and negotiates sponsorships, licenses, and other documents as needed. Beyond basketball, Caroline supports the organization’s subsidiaries and affiliates including the Kings’ basketball arena, G-League team, Minor League Baseball team, and ballpark.

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Before working with the Kings, Caroline earned her J.D. along with a Sports Law Certificate from Tulane Law School (L’23). During her time at Tulane Law, Caroline was an active member of the Tulane Sports Law Society. Caroline was the Co-Founder and Board Chair of the Tulane International Fútbol Negotiation Competition for two years, the Senior Business Editor of The Sports Lawyers Journal where she also published her comment, and an extern for the Sun Belt Conference.

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Prior to law school, Caroline earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administration in Entrepreneurial Management from Texas Christian University in 2020.

Cymoril White currently serves as Corporate Counsel for Hornets Sports & Entertainment, which includes the Charlotte Hornets (NBA); the Greensboro Swarm (NBA G League); Hornets Venom GT (NBA2K League); and the Spectrum Center arena.

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Prior to working for the Hornets, Cymoril served as an associate at FordHarrison LLP, a national labor and employment law firm, where she concentrated her legal practice on advising clients facing complex employment law issues, including disputes related to allegations of harassment, employment discrimination, and wage and hour violations. She has appeared on behalf of employers before state and federal courts as well as administrative agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board. Cymoril represented employers in a broad range of industries, with a specific focus on clients operating in healthcare, hospitality, and retail/restaurant services. Cymoril was named to the list of “2022 Florida Rising Stars”. This list recognizes the top up-and-coming attorneys in the state – those who are 40 years old or younger, or those who have been practicing for 10 years or less. While up to 5 percent of the lawyers in the state are named to Super Lawyers, no more than 2.5 percent are named to the Rising Stars list.

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Cymoril graduated from Stetson University College of law in 2019. While in law school, Cymoril was a member of Stetson Law’s nationally recognized Trial Team and Dispute Resolution Team, where she received the Best Advocate award at the William & Mary Negotiation Competition (2017). Cymoril was also awarded the 2019 Raphael Steinhardt Award for character, leadership, and service to the community. Likewise, she was actively involved in the Black Law Students Association and the Student Bar Association, serving as President (2018-2019), Chair for the Diversity Committee (2016-2017), and earning the Outstanding 1L Award (2016-2017).

Dominique Davillier is a proud New Orleanian, legal professional and content creator dedicated to shaping the future of law, sports, and business. She earned her BBA in International Business with a focus on Marketing from Howard University, where she built the foundation for her global perspective on business and branding. She went on to earn her JD and LLM in Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law from the University of Miami School of Law, concentrating her studies on business, employment, and constitutional law.

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Dominique’s passion for women’s sports and advocacy has guided much of her work. She interned with William Morris Endeavor in the Business Affairs department, supporting talent representation and brand partnerships, and externed with the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), where she focused on labor rights, brand development, and sponsorships for women athletes. Her research and scholarship have also been nationally recognized and published, highlighting her commitment to equity in sports and entertainment.

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Beyond the boardroom, Dominique has built a growing social media platform where she shares her journey as a young Black woman in law, offering mentorship, insights, and inspiration to law students and aspiring professionals. Her content highlights both the challenges and opportunities of navigating the intersection of the legal and sports industries, blending authenticity with thought leadership.

Today, Dominique serves as an associate at Davillier Law Group, working under the guidance of her father to expand the firm into its second generation. She is focused on growing the sports and entertainment practice while continuing to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion in every space she occupies.

Emily Lekahal, a Super Bowl Champion and 2016 graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School, serves as the Assistant General Counsel for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During her time at Minnesota Law, she interned with the Minnesota Vikings, which she credits as pivotal in launching her career in sports law. Following this experience, she worked with the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) before joining the Buccaneers.

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Now in her seventh season with the team, Emily oversees the organization’s day-to-day legal matters, including commercial transactions, risk management, litigation, and compliance. She advises across both football and business operations, supporting the organization’s legal and strategic goals.

Erinn Banks serves as Tulane University's Senior Associate Athletic Director for Governance and Regulatory Affairs / Assistant Provost for NCAA Compliance. Erinn oversees all matters relating to NCAA compliance, governance, and regulatory affairs. Banks consults on the department’s future strategy in response to the continued evolution of collegiate athletics and serves as the direct liaison with the NCAA and the American Conference.

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She also supervises the women's golf program and the office of Student-Athlete Enhancement. Erinn joined Tulane University in September 2015 as Associate Director for NCAA compliance and was promoted to Associate Athletic Director in August 2021. She came to Tulane from the Sun Belt Conference, where she worked as a compliance coordinator from 2013-15.

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A native of Littleton, Colo., Banks earned a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University New Orleans in 2009, before earning a Juris Doctor from Tulane University Law School in 2013.

Grecia Barboza joined the San Francisco 49ers in 2021 and was promoted to her current role as Counsel in 2024. At the 49ers, Ms. Barboza advises on a wide range of legal issues relating to the football team and Levi’s Stadium, and which intersect sports, law, and business.

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Prior to her current role, Ms. Barboza was an associate at the Palo Alto office of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C., where she represented private and public companies in corporate transactions and securities offerings. Prior to that, Ms. Barboza was an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP’s New York and London offices. She earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Spanish from Columbia University.

Kanani K. Datan is a sports and entertainment attorney and NFL Certified Contract Advisor.

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Currently, she is the Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at the Los Angeles Media Fund (LAMF). LAMF is a film finance and production company that works in all areas of entertainment from traditional feature films and television to sports, music, technology, theatre, and live events. As the sole in-house lawyer for the company, it is Kanani’s responsibility to oversee all aspects of LAMF’s entertainment and related endeavors, including those concerning financing, development, production, distribution, and clearance — a role that requires extreme efficiency, time management, and leadership. In recognition of her talent, in 2021, Kanani was named to Hollywood’s New Leaders List by Variety Magazine, an honor that profiles emerging talent in the entertainment industry under the age of 40. At only 27 at the time, Kanani was one of the youngest individuals included.

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Most notably, Kanani is also an Emmy award-winning associate producer on LAMF’s unscripted documentary television series, LEGACY: THE TRUE STORY OF THE LA LAKERS, where she also assisted in negotiating the deal with its distributor, Hulu.

From inception, Kanani’s role quickly expanded at LAMF when she was tasked to oversee the business and legal affairs of one of LAMF’s portfolio companies, a basketball sports agency named LAMF Sports. Shortly thereafter, she fulfilled her dream of becoming an NFL Certified Contract Advisor, an honor in which she was the first female Asian American Pacific Islander to do so. As a former college student-athlete herself, Kanani believes that she can offer a unique perspective to her clients when she advises them. Her passion for advocacy provided her with the opportunity to found LA Sports Group, a full-service sports agency, where she and her colleagues zealously represent their clients both on and off the field.

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Prior to her current position, Kanani worked in-house for the NFL and was an associate attorney at Donaldson, Callif, Perez LLP. She received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a four-year varsity student-athlete and captain of her team, and her J.D. from Southwestern Law School, with a concentration in Entertainment & Media Law, with honors. She is a member of the California State Bar.

Kayla Williams leverages her competitive spirit to defend her clients. As a former Lightfoot summer associate and armed with varied experience gained during law school, Kayla brings a strong foundation to her litigation practice. She primarily handles cases involving toxic torts, product liability, employment discrimination and collegiate name, image, and likeness (NIL) issues.

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Kayla earned her J.D. from Tulane Law School. A three- year merit scholar, she refined her skills in oral advocacy while serving as the head coach of the Tulane Moot Court team. Earning several recognitions during law school, Kayla was honored as a Greater New Orleans Martinet Society Scholarship Recipient, ABA Negotiation National Finalist, National Black Law Student Association Negotiations Finalist and Tulane Intraschool Champion. Kayla also secured her sports law certification while at Tulane. She honed this interest further by clerking for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee in Colorado Springs. During that time, Kayla expanded her knowledge of NIL and collegiate legal matters, managing client intake for anti-doping charges and sexual harassment and abuse allegations. She also offered mediation and dispute resolution resources to athletes at the Tokyo Olympics.

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In 2025, Kayla was named to The National Black Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40 for Alabama. Beyond her achievements in the legal realm, Kayla has earned acclaim as a world-champion gymnast. In 2009, she won the gold medal in vault at the World Gymnastics Championships, becoming the first American gymnast to hold the title. Although her days as a competitive gymnast are behind her, the tenacity and work ethic she developed have seamlessly translated into her legal work.

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Prior to law school, Kayla nurtured her love of gymnastics at the University of Alabama, leaving as a four-time NCAA All-American, and both a regional and national champion. She completed her undergraduate studies in public relations and later earned a master’s degree in sport management. Loyal to her love of the sport, Kayla stays involved with gymnastics by coaching summer camps and pursuing speaking engagements and other volunteering opportunities. During her leisure time, Kayla enjoys exploring the outdoors with her two pups, Faith and Zula.

Marianna serves as Defensive Pass Game Specialist for Tulane University Football under Head Coach Jon Sumrall. Keenly focused on data-driven decision-making and teaching progression design, Marianna collaborates with the defensive coordinator in all aspects of defensive strategy, game planning, opponent analysis, self-scout, and coaching of the defensive secondary. In her second stint with the program, she previously served as a Defensive and Player Personnel Assistant while she attended Tulane University Law School.

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Previously one of only eight female football coaches in the National Football League, Marianna served as a Defensive Coaching Fellow for the Baltimore Ravens from 2023 to 2025. In Baltimore, she assisted the defensive coordinator and secondary coaches in the weekly game-planning process, analyzed upcoming opposing offenses, and developed strategies, protocols, and materials to enhance player learning. During her tenure, the Ravens won back-to-back AFC North division titles and earned an AFC Championship berth while seven Raven defenders earned AP All-Pro honors eight were named Pro Bowl selections. In Marianna’s first season, the Baltimore defense achieved the coveted “triple crown,” finishing ranked first in sacks (60), points allowed per game (16.5), and takeaways (31). No other defense in NFL history has met this mark. With over 12 years of experience working in football, Marianna also has experience as a Pro Scouting Assistant with the New York Jets and as a recruiting and client services assistant for NFL agency Athletes First.

Before joining the Ravens, Marianna specialized in Sports Law at Tulane Law School, graduating in 2023. During her tenure at Tulane, she worked as a defensive and player personnel assistant for Tulane Football, where she assisted the defensive staff by synthesizing the weekly game plan and creating player study materials while also playing an integral role in all recruiting operations. In her final season with the program, Tulane finished as the #9 team in the nation with a 12-2 record and garnered landmark wins in both the American Athletic Conference Championship and the 2024 Cotton Bowl.

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As an active member of the Tulane Sports Law Society, Marianna participated in the Tulane Professional Football Negotiation Competition and the Tulane Professional Baseball Negotiation Competition as a bailiff. Since graduating, she has remained deeply involved with the Society, serving as a judge for the TPFNC, a featured panelist for the Tulane Sports and Entertainment Law Conference, and a SLS mentor.

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Marianna attended Vanderbilt University for her undergraduate studies, where she earned degrees in Human and Organizational Development and Business. Throughout her four years in Nashville, she served as a student athletic trainer and football operations assistant for the Vanderbilt football team.

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A proud New Orleanian, Marianna graduated from Isidore Newman School, where her football career began, and is a third-generation Tulane Law School graduate

Marissa Kinsey is a corporate associate in the Houston office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

Nadia Murad is a partner in the Investment Funds Group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. She has nearly 20 years of experience representing many of the world’s most well-known private equity sponsors in their fundraises, with aggregate capital raised totaling in the tens of billions of dollars. As an integral part of the Firm’s leading global IFG platform, she has built her career advising private equity clients on a wide variety of fund formation and related matters, including numerous mega-fund formations and fundraises across a broad spectrum of strategies and sponsors including private equity buyout funds, hybrid (PE/hedge) funds, first-time fund products, secondary funds, continuation funds, co-invest vehicles, feeder vehicles and HNW platforms, fund-of-one and single asset vehicles, and alternative investment vehicle structures.

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Nadia also advises clients on a range of complex business transactions over the life cycle of a firm, including counseling clients on strategic expansions and new product launches, AUM growth, current and anticipated trends and market developments, establishment of new offices, team expansions and separations, succession planning, and liquidity solutions including structured secondaries and GP-led transactions. Nadia also has been a lead partner representing private equity sponsors on internal firm structuring and economic arrangements, admission and separation agreements, succession planning and founder-related investments.

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Nadia regularly guides clients through a wide range of operational and commercial issues, helping them navigate regulatory and compliance matters, placement agent agreements, conflicts, allocations, cross-fund transactions, investor relations matters, ESG, limited partner transfers and confidentiality considerations.

Renee currently operates RG Sports Consulting, where she provides NCAA compliance and legal advice to college coaches, administrators, student-athletes and third-party constituents. She works directly with coaches, student-athletes and administrators representing them during NCAA investigations and Committee on Infractions cases, student-athlete waiver issues and coaches’ misconduct hearings. She also works with agents, collectives and insurance groups, and other third parties to provide NCAA and CSC compliance interpretations and NIL advice. Renee served as an NCAA Associate Director of Enforcement from 2002 to 2014.

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Prior to joining the NCAA, Renee worked in the athletics compliance office at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Renee received her law degree from Tulane University, School of Law in 2000. She received her Master’s of Science, Criminal Justice from Florida International University (FIU) in 1996, and her Bachelor’s of Science, Criminal Justice from FIU in 1994. Renee also serves as an adjunct and guest professor teaching sports law classes specific to NCAA legislation and litigation.

Sarah is a senior associate at Winston & Strawn, where she focuses her practice on sports, antitrust, and complex commercial litigation matters.

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In the sports industry, Sarah regularly counsels and represents sports industry clients in arbitrations and litigations involving contract, intellectual property licensing, and antitrust issues. Sarah has represented a variety of sports industry clients, including the NFL Players Association, Major League Baseball Players Association, OneTeam Partners, the North American Soccer League, as well as professional and college athletes.

She is a member of the House v. NCAA case team that secured a $2.75B back-pay damages settlement for hundreds of thousands of current and former college athletes. The settlement also fundamentally altered the college sports landscape to open the door to billions of dollars in future revenue sharing payments for college athletes.

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In the areas of antitrust and complex commercial litigation, Sarah has represented plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of industries through every phase of litigation, from case initiation through trial.

Sarah also has more than two years of experience as a federal judicial clerk to the Honorable Esther Salas, United States District Judge (District of New Jersey).

Savannah is a Cum Laude and Honors Scholar graduate of the University of Louisville with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Communication. Upon graduation, she moved to California to pursue a career in sports and ultimately started working as a receptionist and Assistant to the President at Athletes First in 2008. She received her Masters in Communication Management from the University of Southern California in 2011 and became a certified NFLPA Contract Advisor in 2016. She signed her first NFL 1st Round Draft Selection in 2020 (Austin Jackson- Dolphins).

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She currently serves as VP, Client Relations at Athletes First where she leads a team of nine who diligently work to fulfill all off-field obligations and needs for the agency's robust NFL client roster. She’s personally managed over 300 NFL athletes throughout her career, including three Super Bowl MVPs, dozens of Pro Bowl players and numerous Walter Payton Man of the Year finalists, to name a few. She’s worked with athletes on Dancing with the Stars, The Masked Singer, Saturday Night Live, Good Morning America and many other entertainment outlets over the years. She was named Equity Partner at Athletes First in 2023 and was recently honored as a Sports Business Journal Gamechanger for the Class of 2025.

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Additionally, she is an adjunct professor with the University of San Francisco's Sports Management Masters Program, and she's a mentor for Women in Sports & Entertainment- LA and Orange County Chapters. She also serves on the University of Santa Barabara’s PaCE Women in Leadership Advisory Board and serves on PayAway’s Board of Directors. She’s been featured in Forbes, NFL.com and OC Parenting Magazine. She's a wife and mother of three, and she currently resides in Orange County, California.

Tara Turner is in her second season with the Jacksonville Jaguars as Player Finance and Football Administration Assistant after joining the organization in July 2024. In this role, her responsibilities include creating, reviewing and executing player contracts; evaluating NFL draft prospects and current players; tracking and measuring NFL position markets; and disseminating league-wide mandates and rules to Jaguars staff.

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Before coming to Jacksonville, Turner spent two seasons with Samford University’s football program. She began as director of football management upon graduation from law school in 2022 and was then promoted to chief of staff before leaving the program in 2024.

Turner also had a stint with the New York Jets as a scouting and personnel intern during 2023 training camp.

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Turner attended Tulane University, where she got her bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies in Business in 2019 and her JD with a certificate in sports law in 2022. She is a member of the Texas Bar Association. While at Tulane, Turner served the football program as equipment head student manager in undergrad and as a graduate assistant in recruiting and operations throughout law school. While at Tulane Law, Turner was a member of the Sports Law Society and a member/head coach for the Tulane Moot Court Alternative Dispute Resolution team.

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Tara recently got married in New Orleans to her now husband, Ricky Turner, and enjoys spending time with family, friends, and their dog, Moose.

Tiffany Shepard is the Director & Senior Counsel of Brand Rights and Brand Protection for the FIFA World Cup 2026. In this role, she leads the North American enforcement strategy to safeguard FIFA’s World Cup 2026 IP, retail licensing, and sponsorship rights from ambush marketing, counterfeiting, and unauthorized affiliations.

Prior to joining FIFA, Tiffany served as the Assistant General Counsel of Legal and Business Affairs at BuzzFeed Media Enterprises, Inc., a digital media company. She advised on talent negotiations, commercial transactions, sponsorships, events, international licensing, and branded content for marquee brands such as Complex, Tasty, and BuzzFeed.

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Before her tenure at BuzzFeed, Tiffany was the Associate General Counsel at The Kraft Heinz Company. There, she focused on NIL partnerships, FTC compliance, IP, and marketing strategies for multi-billion-dollar brands.

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Tiffany's earlier experience includes her role at The Procter & Gamble Company, where she served first as Global Brand and Trademark Counsel and then as the North America Brand Protection Leader and Senior Legal Counsel. Her responsibilities at P&G encompassed developing enforcement strategies to dismantle counterfeit networks, serving as the Sports Marketing SPOC, and collaborating with marketing, R&D, and regulatory teams to ensure effective risk assessments and advertising claim substantiation.

Tiffany holds a JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and a BA from Hampton University. In her spare time, she loves to travel, mentor students and read cheesy romance novels.

Professor Torrey M. Feldman serves as Legal Counsel for FIFA World Cup 2026™, where she advises on business and legal affairs, marketing, partnerships rights delivery, and assists co-panelist Tiffany Shepard with brand protection strategy and enforcement. Her work supports what will be the world’s largest single-sport event through strategic legal guidance.

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Before joining FIFA, Torrey served as Counsel for Sports and Culture Marketing at Adidas, drafting the first NIL deals for the company worldwide, negotiating partnerships with athletes, entertainers, and cultural collaborators, and buying an ungodly amount of sneakers.

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Before going in-house, Torrey was an associate attorney at Baker Donelson with a focus on civil litigation, labor & employment, and trademark law. In addition to her legal practice, Torrey is an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice at the University of Miami, where she teaches Legal Aspects of Sport at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Fluent in Spanish and passionate about mentorship, she brings energy, insight, and a love of sport, culture, and community to everything she does.

Vicky Neumeyer was named Senior Vice President/General Counsel of the New Orleans Pelicans, in addition to serving in the same position for the New Orleans Saints, in June, 2012, overseeing all legal aspects of both teams.

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Providing comprehensive legal consultation and services to the two clubs’ executive staff and assuring compliance in all of the organizations’ business endeavors, Neumeyer has been a key member of the Saints front office since joining the club in 2000 and was promoted to vice president/general counsel in 2006. Her responsibilities include drafting key documents – including leases, sponsorship agreements and broadcast contracts – identifying and analyzing legal issues and presenting comprehensive recommendations.

A member of the Louisiana and federal bar associations, prior to joining the Saints, Neumeyer spent over five years as an in-house corporate litigation attorney for Exxon. Previously she served as a judicial clerk for the Supreme Court of Louisiana and was in private practice as a consultant to major corporate clients and law firms.

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Neumeyer possesses extensive experience in Sports Law, including antitrust, labor and organizational matters. She also has a comprehensive background in CAD engineering, software development firm drafting, negotiating contracts worldwide, copyrighting and in handling legal business issues. In 2004, Neumeyer was selected by the Saints to attend the Stanford Business School’s Executive Education NFL-Stanford Program for Managers, an educational program and honor known league-wide as an important training ground for promising executives. She has also been invited to speak at several venues, including Harvard Law School, The Sports Lawyer’s Association annual conferences, American Bar Association programs, Tulane Law School, and Loyola University New Orleans Law School. She sits on the boards of The NOCCA Institute, the INFINITY Science Center, the Arizona State University Sports Law Program as well as the Sports Lawyers’ Association, and is actively involved with the Girl Scouts of Southeast Louisiana.

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After completing her undergraduate work Summa Cum Laude at the University of Wisconsin, Neumeyer earned a Master of Science Degree in Audiology at the school. She graduated with honors from Loyola Law School and attained a Master of Law with Distinction with a dual emphasis in Intellectual Property Law and Sports Law.