Melva Tate who’s made a name for herself in Birmingham and beyond for the past 17 years through the different divisions of her company Tate & Associates is now stepping up to the plate in a new era — sports. And this play is extra special because she has her daughter Danielle Tate by her side.
Tate Sports Strategies, a new division of Tate & Associates, is dedicated to advancing athletes, coaches, and athletic organizations through leadership development, executive coaching, and personal branding.
“She’s always worked with me behind the scenes,” Melva said of her daughter Danielle. “With her background in sport management we were able to expand.”
Danielle, who serves as vice president of the new division, has a degree in sport administration from Louisiana State University (LSU) and in sport management from the University of Alabama. She’s also worked in various athletic departments, sports nonprofits, and athletic conference offices.
And the new division comes at a critical time in sports with the expansion in NIL — or Name, Image and Likeness — a policy that allows student athletes to profit from their personal brand by engaging in marketing and promotional activities.
“I have a background in personal branding and NIL, so that’s the expertise that I will bring for athletes, specifically in high school and college, but also for some pro athletes as well,” Danielle said, “making sure that they know and understand what their brand is, how to build on it, and how to receive an extra income outside of them just playing their sport.”
Her mother added, “With NIL and everything else being so important, she added that extra bonus piece to being able to provide additional services that were not part of what we were normally doing.”
Working the athletes is not new for the company. Before officially launching Tate Sports Strategies last month, the mother-daughter duo worked with athletic departments at several Historical Black Colleges and University (HBCUs) including, Alabama A&M, Alabama State University, Miles College, Morehouse College and Tuskegee University. They’ve also done work with Birmingham City Schools and Jefferson County Schools.
Tate Sports Strategies will deliver staff development programs and compliance training for professional sports organizations, provide executive coaching for sports leaders, and lead team-building and communication workshops for youth, college, and professional teams as well as Title IX compliance support,
Doing Good Work
Melva Tate, 56, was born in Indiana but her family relocated to the Wenonah area of Birmingham when she was five years old. Eventually, the family returned to Indiana, where Tate remained until she joined the U.S. Navy and spent time in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1997, Melva made her way back to Birmingham to be closer to family.
She’s a highly sought after human resources expert who offers strategic planning, leadership coaching, talent acquisition, policy management and more under the Strategic HR Partnerships arm of her company. She’s also an in-demand public speaker. Through Melva Tate Speaks, corporations across the country hire her to deliver workshops and keynote addresses at conferences and other events.
Though her time in the military may seem unrelated to the work she does today, Melva says her experience with the U.S. Navy taught her much about business.
“The military taught me about processes and procedures and doing them consistently and so that’s one of the models that I have for my business,” she said. “Decide what we need to do, set some standards around it and do that thing consistently. Do it right. Do it consistently.”
Danielle Tate, left, Melva Tate. (A. Boswell Photography)
Despite her military background, Melva admits she’s not as deadline driven as her daughter Danielle, which has taken some getting used to as the two have been working together more intensely with this new division of the business.
“I’ve had to remind her one or two times, I am your mother,” Tate said with a laugh. “But we’ve always bonded well.”
For Danielle, the best part of working closely with her mother is seeing her mom in a new light. “Being able to work with her in this capacity is allowing me to see her the way that other people have seen her for so long,” Danielle said.
Melva said it’s her reputation that has helped her business be successful.
“I do think that being heavily involved in our community through community service and board work and building a strong network in the business community has truly benefited us,” Melva said. “I really do appreciate the fact that I’ve got so many unpaid brand ambassadors around our city and actually around our state. It’s all about word of mouth and doing good work.”
“Stay True To Who You Are”
Danielle can’t remember a time when she didn’t love sports. “I cheered in high school competitively, but I did so that way I could watch all of the sports,” said Danielle, who graduated from Pleasant Grove High School in 2012.
In college, she jumped at the chance to study sport management at LSU. Danielle, 30, urges other young women interested in pursuing careers in sports not to be intimidated by a field that seems dominated by men.
“Looks can be deceiving,” she said. “It looks like it’s male dominated, but there’s actually quite a lot of women in [the industry]. Find out what your strengths are and what you’re really good at, hold on to that. Always stay true to who you are and your talent.”
Looking Ahead
Melvaree Witherspoon, who serves as chief operations officer for Tate Sports Strategies and has been with Tate & Associates for five years, is excited about the new venture.
From left: Melva Tate, Danielle Tate and Melvaree Witherspoon. (A. Boswell Photography)
“Sports is one of the most influential industries — it shapes culture, inspires communities, and drives major economic opportunities,” Witherspoon said. “Launching Tate Sports Strategies is a natural extension of our expertise in leadership, development, and organizational effectiveness. It allows us to support athletes and sports organizations with the same high-level strategy and care that we provide to businesses and nonprofits. It’s about meeting a need that is both timely and transformative.”
Looking ahead, the Tates hope to continue to expand their business by hiring an additional consultant with a strong background in sports and player marketing. They also plan to open two brick-and-mortar locations — one in Birmingham and one in Houston, Texas — and pursue partnerships in Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana. And Melva hopes that eventually Danielle will take over the company and that the business will continue to grow with her at the helm.
“This is more than a business expansion,” Melva said. “It’s a legacy moment and a celebration of Black women leading, mentoring, and building together.
Learn more about Tate Sports Strategies at tateassociatesllc.com.
Source: https://www.birminghamtimes.com/2025/09/meet-the-mother-daughter-team-bringing-new-strategies-into-the-nil-era/