First Ever Seattle Panel Discussion on NIL Adds More Subject Matter Experts
The Pacific Northwest Academy of Legal Studies in Business (PNALSB) announced its latest additions to its highly anticipated NIL Colloquium, the first ever to be held in Seattle, Washington. The panel discussion takes place on April 14th, 2023, 8:30 a.m., at Seattle University’s School of Law.
All the panelists are subject matter experts in NIL (name, image, likeness) and bring unique, highly informed perspectives to the hottest field of the business of sport.
James Buder is Assistant Attorney General of the University of Washington (UW). Since 2014, Mr. Buder has represented the university’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, Marketing and Communications Office, and CoMotion (technology transfer office). He also advises the university on sports law, trademarks, copyright, patents, trade secrets, licensing, sponsorships, media and other business transactions.
Mr. Buder is also the Team Leader for the university’s General Practice Team, which represents and advises the university in a wide variety of areas, including research, real estate, open government, privacy, advancement, student conduct, Title IX, tax, investments, and constitutional law. Before representing UW, Mr. Buder’s practice primarily involved civil litigation for the Washington Attorney General.
Hector Rivas is Co-founder of Disruptive Sports, a sports agency that launched in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. Disruptive Sports represents professional athletes and coaches in the NFL and student-athletes in the NCAA. Mr. Rivas was the founder and CEO of ThriftBooks and EcoGoodz, two companies he helped start in the Seattle area.
Debbie Spander is the founder and CEO of Insight Sports Advisors, a boutique agency focused on coaching, executives and sports media. Her clients include NBA and NCAA coaches, front-office executives, sports media personalities, and NIL athletes. Insight was launched in 2021 to provide a more personalized representation experience.
Ms. Spander has facilitated NIL marketing agreements for professional and retired athletes for the last 10 years and now also helps college athletes build their brands and profit off of their NIL. She consults with athletic departments on NIL and will be teaching The NIL Experience at USC Annenberg School.
Natalie M. Welch is an assistant professor at Seattle University’s MBA in Sport and Entertainment Management. She is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and grew up in Cherokee, North Carolina. She is an alumnus of the University of Tennessee and the University of Central Florida.
Ms. Welch has over five years of professional experience working with Nike and ad agency Wieden+Kennedy. She is passionate about advocating for indigenous athletes and equity across sport.
The NIL Colloquium is one of the sessions included in the upcoming regional conference of the PNALSB, an association of university teachers and scholars in the fields of business law and the legal environment of business who teach outside of law schools. This regional organization is affiliated with the Academy of Legal Studies in Business. It meets annually in April, rotating locations typically between Washington state, Oregon, and Idaho.
This year’s conference is sponsored by Seattle University’s MBA in Sport and Entertainment Management. It is open to all faculty across disciplines, from community colleges, schools of business, and law schools, to law and industry practitioners as well as sports marketing professionals and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) executives. An application will be filed with the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit for conference participants (subject to approval by the WSBA).
Interested attendees can register for the NIL Colloquium only or the entire conference on the PNALSB registration page. More information about the organization can be found on the PNALSB website.