Sedrick Evans is a Human Resources Executive and Owner of Balanced HR Solutions, a Human Resource Consulting Services Company. He has more than 20 years of experience transforming HR organizations, programs, and practices to support successful business outcomes. His areas of expertise include change and performance management, team effectiveness, total rewards, leadership development, and team building. Sedrick is a member of and holds accreditations with the Society of Human Resource Management and HR Certificate Institute. He is a graduate of Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas.

Jennifer Bley Sweeny is a Board-Certified labor and employment attorney, representing employers with matters ranging from day-to-day employment issues to complex employment arbitrations and labor disputes. Using her extensive experience as a labor and employment litigator, Jennifer is able to anticipate the pitfalls that often result in costly employment litigation and help employers prepare for and avoid those pitfalls.

Jennifer’s services include: human resources training, union avoidance training, compensation and FLSA compliance audits, workplace investigations, handling unemployment claims; responding to administrative charges, employment handbook and policy updates and roll-outs, performance coaching, and training and preparation for union campaigns.  

Jennifer is in the business of helping employers avoid litigation, but should litigation ensue, she vigorously defends employers in litigation across Texas, as well as arbitrations and administrative proceedings across the United States.

Partner / National Nonprofit Advisory Services Leader
Nonprofit, Higher Education & Public Sector

A member of FORVIS National Nonprofit Advisory Services Practice and Center of Excellence. Neely has more than 20 years of audit and advisory experience in public accounting. Her expertise includes financial statement audits, Single Audits, grants management, assessments and compliance, outsourced accounting functions, standards implementation, internal audit procedures, strategic planning and tax-exempt matters for a wide range of nonprofit entities. Neely also performs forensic work related to various cases for technical matters for nonprofits.

In addition to handling the accounting, consulting and audit needs of her clients, she advises clients on operational efficiencies, internal controls and governance issues and routinely shares best practices with clients gained from working with a variety of organizations. She is a highly sought national speaker on technical matters in the accounting community. Neely also served in the United States Navy for four years. 

Neely is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, where she serves as a board member, TXCPA -Dallas, where she serves as a board member and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Inc. She holds the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) designation.

She has been involved with many other professional associations, including Dallas Social Venture Partners, Finance Chair, Arthritis Foundation, Dallas Heroes Project, and Great Girls Network, among many others.

Neely is a 2000 magna cum laude graduate of Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Jonathan Blum is a nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations attorney in Holland & Knight's Dallas office. Mr. Blum's experience includes assisting nonprofit leaders in managing their legal matters on a broad array of issues affecting charities, foundations, trade and professional associations, advocacy groups and other nonprofit organizations. Mr. Blum recognizes the importance of concentrating on the key issues affecting clients and moving quickly to identify practical legal options in order for clients to stay mission-focused and make informed decisions.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Blum worked in the nonprofit practice group for a national Am Law 100 firm in Dallas, where he served as counsel and later as shareholder. He also spent nearly seven years serving as in-house counsel for tax-exempt organizations such as a national breast cancer foundation and a private family foundation. In addition, Mr. Blum served as a transactional attorney for an international law firm headquartered in New York City. He previously served as an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law.

Mr. Blum is a frequent speaker on current developments for nonprofit organizations. 

In addition to his law and undergraduate degrees, Mr. Blum has completed course work at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Argentina and Universidad de Carabobo in Venezuela.

Nykolas McKissic is a private wealth services attorney in Holland & Knight's Dallas Office. Mr. McKissic focuses his practice on providing strategic counsel to clients in the areas of charitable giving, philanthropy and domestic and international tax-exempt organizations.

Mr. McKissic leverages his background in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and complex tax situations to advise clients on qualifications for tax-exempt status, corporate governance practices and policies, and financial and legal compliance.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. McKissic was an associate in the nonprofit practice for a national AmLaw 100 firm in Dallas. In addition, Mr. McKissic previously practiced in M&A with a Big Four accounting firm in Chicago, where he advised clients on federal income tax issues relating to corporate taxation, including domestic and multinational strategic mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and separations, with an emphasis on corporate taxation.