The Betty van der Smissen Leadership Award is presented to an individual who is recognized for leadership and vision in the study of legal aspects of sport and physical activity. The 2024 winner is Dr. Mary Hums.
Mary A. Hums, PhD is a Professor of Sport Administration at the University of Louisville. She has been named a North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) Earle F. Zeigler Lecturer, the organization’s most prestigious academic honor. She also received the NASSM Diversity Award. Hums co-authored Article 30.5 of the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. She has authored over 150 refereed journal articles and book chapters and given over 200 presentations in the US and abroad. She is a Past President of the Society for the Study of Legal Aspects of Sport and Physical Activity (SSLASPA), which is now the Sport and Recreation Law Association (SRLA).
Hums was an Erasmus Mundus Visiting International Scholar at Katholische Universitat in Leuven, Belgium and has worked 4 Paralympic Games, an Olympic Games, and also the Para-Pan American Games.
She is an inductee in the Indiana Softball Hall of Fame and was a four-year field hockey varsity athlete at the University of Notre Dames as a goalkeeper.
The Herb Appenzeller Sport and Recreation Law Association Honor Award is presented to an individual who has given outstanding service to the Association. The 2024 winner is Dr. Nita Unruh.
Nita Unruh is a Full Professor of Sport Management in the College of Education at the University of Nebraska Kearney. She recently stepped away from serving as the department chair of the Kinesiology and Sport Sciences department after 17 years to take on a new role as the Associate Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs for UNK. Her research has primarily focused on risk management and emergency action planning for high schools. She attended, and became a member, of SRLA/SSLASPA in 1996 where she attended her first conference in Albuquerque, NM. Her advisor, and friend Dr. Merry Moiseichik, said it would be a great place to present her dissertation as a practice run for her defense. Everyone would be “gentle” with her is what Merry said. Seeing Betty van der Smissen in the front row taking notes totally intimidated her however, the input and advice after the second run through of the presentation was invaluable. Since that time, the friends and colleagues have been many with most mentoring her in some way throughout her career. Nita served SSLASPA on the Board of Directors for two terms as the secretary, and on the Honors and Awards committee for several years. Recently she has taken on the role as Associate Executive Director serving the association in an effort to give back to the group that has given and meant so much to her.
The Lori K. Miller Sport and Recreation Law Association Young Professional Award recognizes a young professional who demonstrates commitment to the study and instruction of the legal aspects of sport and recreation; service to the field and SRLA; as well as the potential for future growth and excellence in those same areas. The 2024 winner is Katie M Brown.
Katie M. Brown, PhD, currently works as an Assistant Professor of Sport Management at Texas Tech University in the Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management. She got her start by earning a Bachelor’s in Sport Management from Texas A&M University and spent about ten years working in the hospitality industry. Later, she earned her Master’s in Athletic Administration from Troy University and went on to pursue her PhD in Kinesiology, focusing on Sport Management, at Texas A&M University.
Dr. Brown’s expertise lies in brand management, trademark law, consumer surveys, and legal scandals in sports. She has shared her insights in trademark law online for Bloomberg Law, and published law reviews in Marquette Sports Law Review and Marquette Intellectual Property and Innovation Law Review. Notably, she received the Best Intellectual Paper Award from Thomson Reuters for her work in the Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review. She has also contributed to various sport journals such as the Journal of Global Sport Management, The Entertainment and Sports Law Journal, International Journal of Sport Communication, Sport Management Review, Sport Marketing Quarterly, and the Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, along with a multitude of book chapters focused on intellectual property, legal terminology, and legal scandals.
Dr. Brown’s experience in teaching reaches across the various aspects of sport management, but her main focus is on teaching sport law classes to both undergraduate and graduate students. She’s been recognized with two teaching award nominations, highlighting her creative approach to teaching. Dr. Brown’s philosophy lies not only in developing understanding of legal theory and practice, but also in the development of students’ skills so that they may thrive in all aspects of an organization.
Acknowledging the importance of service to the field, Dr. Brown has actively contributed to the Sport and Recreation Law Association, having previously served on the Marketing Committee and participated in the review of abstracts for the SRLA conference. Currently serving as an Expert Witness and a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, she continues to promote the importance of the legal aspects of sport in teaching, research, and service to the field.
The Bernard Patrick Maloy Graduate Student Research Award is given annually to the graduate student who submits the best research paper to the Honors and Awards Committee. Award winners are encouraged to work towards future publication in Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport. The 2024 award winner is Scott White.
Scott White is a second year PhD student at Florida State University. He attended the University of Tennessee College of Law and received his JD in 2017. After graduating from law school, Scott worked in compliance for NCAA Division I institutions, including institutions in the Mid-American Conference and Southeastern Conference. Scott’s research interests include antitrust and college athletics, sports economics, and public policy.
The SRLA Research Fellow designation recognizes scholars by honoring their achievement in legal aspects of sport and recreation-related scholarship. The 2024 Research Fellows is Dr. Sungho Cho
Sungho Cho is an Associate Professor in the Sport Management Program at the Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH. He also has taught in the Seoul National University’s Dream Together Master’s Program since 2013. Dr. Cho served as the president of the SRLA and the organization’s Board of Directors. His research interests include sport trademarks, deceptive marketing, and governance issues of sport organizations.