TEAM

JIM TANNER

PRESIDENT

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.

HELEN DOOLEY

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, TALENT REPRESENTATION/GENERAL COUNSEL

Helen drafts and negotiates the off-the-court agreements for Tandem’s clients, including appearances, licensing, and endorsement deals. She also assists athletes with non-sports business deals and negotiates publishing and broadcasting contracts. Helen received both her undergraduate (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and law degrees from Duke University. Helen is admitted to the bars of the District of Columbia and North Carolina.

SHANA MARTIN

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CLIENT AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Shana Martin is Tandem’s Senior Vice President of Client + Business Operations. She has extensive experience in the business, sports and entertainment industries and played an integral role in the creation of Tandem Sports + Entertainment. Shana oversees the daily operations of Tandem and directs our human resources, information technology, accounts receivable and administrative teams. She also manages the planning and execution of the company’s business and strategic plans. Shana has over 20 years of experience working with NBA, WNBA and MLB athletes. Throughout her tenure, she has assisted with the representation and guidance of professional athletes in their business and personal endeavors. She was certified as an agent by the Women’s National Basketball Players Association and is responsible for overseeing Tandem’s WNBA practice. Shana uses her expertise to guide everyday client operations ensuring that client needs are met while monitoring and overseeing their professional and personal obligations, assisting with special projects and tracking and securing payment obligations of companies endorsed by our clients.

Shana graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Shana was a member and captain of Penn’s varsity track team. Her legacy continues at Penn as her 4x200m relay team still holds the school record; and through a plaque on a wall at Franklin Field that depicts two hands passing a baton, signifying the expanding presence of the sport of track & field.

LESLIE GROVES

Vice President, Marketing + Community Strategy

A sports industry veteran, Leslie procures marketing and endorsement opportunities for Tandem clients. She works to generate revenue and develop and implement fully-integrated action plans and programs. Prior to joining Tandem, Leslie’s experience included the USTA/Mid-Atlantic Section, Score Results Marketing and Communications, Nordstrom, Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, Snowsports Industries America, Women’s Sports Foundation, Galyans Sports & Outdoor, Boys & Girls Club of America, and Nike, Inc. Leslie earned a Bachelor of Science in Business at Oregon State University.

ALISON TANNER

VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS

Alison oversees company operations, procedures and clerical functions. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with an undergraduate degree in Electric Engineering. She received her MBA and JD from the University of Chicago and previously worked in corporate finance at Friedman Billings Ramsey and Capital One. Alison is admitted to the bars of Illinois and the District of Columbia.

KATHERINE CORD

Vice President, Communications + Brand Strategy

Katherine oversees public relations, social media and general communications for Tandem and Tandem’s clients. Prior to joining Tandem, Katherine spent two seasons working for the Washington Wizards communications department as a PR intern (2012-13) and public relations game night assistant (2013-14). Katherine received her BA in Communication with a focus in Public Relations from the University of Maryland, where she assisted the Media Relations Department with all sports and served as the school’s Sports Information Director for the women’s gymnastics team.

MAX WIEPKING

AGENT

Max provides support to Tandem’s basketball agents with on-court representation and services for the agency’s clients. His extensive basketball background both on-and off-the-court allows him to provide knowledgeable analysis of team rosters, salary cap scenarios and the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Prior to joining Tandem, Max worked as an analytics intern and a player development associate for the Dallas Mavericks. He also played four years of basketball at the University of Arizona.

VICKIE LEE

RECEPTIONIST + ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Vickie is a highly-trained executive assistant with more than sixteen years of experience in customer support and administrative management. In addition to her hospitality receiving guests at Tandem offices, Vickie works closely with all other staff to ensure that Tandem’s client service is second-to-none. Vickie’s professional education includes extensive certification in records and expense management systems.

DARRELL COMER

Agent

Darrell is involved in client management, contract negotiations, recruitment, marketing and draft preparation for Tandem’s clients. With years of industry experience, Darrell has developed and maintained strong global relationships and partnerships throughout the basketball world.

Darrell, an Atlanta resident, is a cum laude graduate of Morehouse College with a BA in Business Administration – Marketing. He attended Georgia State University in their Masters of Sport Administration program while working on the men’s basketball staff. Darrell is a certified agent by both the National Basketball Players Association and Federal International Basketball Association.

ELIAS SBIET

Agent

Elias joined Tandem in 2021 after spending more than a decade in the scouting world servicing more than half of the NCAA at the Division I level. He has a depth of knowledge in the player evaluation process and specializes in player projections. Elias has consulted for NBA teams leading into multiple draft years between 2012 and 2019. A native of Canada, he played a key role in building the infrastructure for Canada’s identification platform through nation-wide ID camps, ranking systems and media platforms.

Elias was named to the Canada Basketball Power 20, a list compiled by SportsNet to illustrate the nation’s top builders, decisions makers and trend setters.

TERRENCE FELDER

Agent

Terrence supports Tandem’s brand strategy team and basketball department. He assists with developing clients’ brands through strategic partnerships that are organic to them. Terrence also plays a role in recruiting, guiding rookies through the pre-draft process, client servicing, and analyzing salary cap and team rosters.

Prior to joining Tandem, Terrence worked in Iona College’s Athletic Department as a Communications Manager. He received his BA in Sports Management from SUNY Cortland where he was a four-year member of the basketball team.

FERNANDO CATALAN

Senior Manager, Operations

Fernando serves as the agency’s Senior Manager, Operations. He develops market research reports, monitors the company’s business plans, and oversees finance related matters. He is skilled in managing business negotiations along all the distribution chains in the European and American markets.

Fernando has a Business Management and Finance degree with more than nine years of experience working in international finance. Originally from Spain, Fernando is fluent in Spanish and English.

Before joining the company, Fernando worked in NBC Universal Networks as a Finance Manager.

TRAE MARTINO

Communications + Brand Strategy Coordinator

Trae is the Communications + Brand Strategy Coordinator for Tandem and Tandem’s clients. Trae works with each of our clients to navigate the digital and traditional media landscape while also assisting in all things social media to ensure clients maintain a positive experience with media and their fans. Prior to Tandem, Trae spent time working in communications with the Washington Commanders and Georgetown basketball.

Trae is a graduate of both the Devos Sport Management program at the University of Central Florida and the Sports Industry Management Program at Georgetown University.

WAYNE PINKNEY

Client Relations Manager

Wayne is the Client Relations Manager at Tandem. Wayne has over 20 years of experience in the sports industry with particular expertise in sports marketing, shoe and apparel contracts and building relationships with professional athletes. Prior to joining Tandem, Wayne spent 15 years at Nike with roles in Pro Basketball Sports Marketing (responsible for relationships with all NBA teams on the East Coast) and most recently overseeing Nike’s college basketball portfolio as Director of College Basketball Sports Marketing. While at Nike, Wayne scouted and signed multi-million dollar deals with marquee athletes, including Jayson Tatum, Paul Pierce, Amare Stoudemire, J.R. Smith, Brad Beal, Jeremy Lin and Ben Simmons. He also managed Kyrie Irving’s signature athletic brand which grew to $400 million in annual sales under Wayne’s watch.

Wayne is a graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College where he was a 3-year starter on the men’s basketball team as well as the 3-year captain.