Professionals on the Move is a round-up of recent promotions, staffing announcements, and other leadership changes from around the accounting profession.
Whitley Penn Names Sarah Huckaby Partner-in-Charge of Global Talent
Whitley Penn, a tax, audit, and advisory firm, recently named Tax Partner, Sarah Huckaby, CPA, as Partner-in-Charge of Global Talent.
The integration of a global workforce at Whitley Penn plays a vital role in delivering thoughtful, high-quality solutions. By drawing on a wide range of perspectives and specialized skills from around the world, the firm can approach challenges with greater creativity and insight, ultimately enhancing the value delivered to clients.
Huckaby has more than 17 years of public accounting tax experience gained from serving a broad range of clients, focusing on public and private clients primarily in the following industries: software, engineering, manufacturing, real estate, high net worth individuals and families, and taxpayers with foreign related reporting requirements.
She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Fort Worth Chapter of the TXCPA, Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TXCPA), and the Texas Tech University Lyons School of Accounting external advisory board.
CohnReznick Brings on Commercial Real Estate Partner Zaninovich
CohnReznick, a leading professional services firm, recently announced that Daniel Zaninovich has joined the firm as a Commercial Real Estate partner. Based in Los Angeles, he brings nearly two decades of experience advising clients on complex tax matters involving compliance, real estate partnership taxation, and REITs.
Zaninovich’s commercial real estate expertise includes addressing issues related to REIT tax matters and compliance; reviewing quarterly and annual REIT tests; performing REIT acquisition due diligence; reviewing sales for prohibited transactions issues; structuring REOs within a fund complex to safeguard REIT status; and addressing partnership complexities within an UpREIT structure. Within real estate partnership taxation, Zaninovich has extensive experience with 704(b), 704(c), 707, 743, and 751.
Zaninovich holds a Master of Business Taxation from the University of Southern California and a B.B.A. in Accounting from Biola University. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in California and an active member of the Urban Land Institute.
About CohnReznick
Novie Joins CohnReznick as Private Client Services Partner
CohnReznick, a leading professional services firm, recently announced that Leif Novie has joined the firm as a partner in the Private Client Services practice. Based in South Florida, Novie has more than 35 years of accounting and tax experience and brings significant expertise in trusts and estates and high-net-worth individuals.
As a Certified Public Accountant and attorney, Novie provides tax planning strategies with a focus on international and real estate tax issues impacting various asset classes. He advises high-net-worth individuals on domestic and non-domestic issues and has extensive experience with a range of financial products. Novie also advises clients on estate planning issues and planning with trusts and charitable vehicles. His financial services experience includes working with hedge funds and investment partnerships. Additionally, Novie has presented on various tax topics.
Prior to joining CohnReznick, Novie was a partner at a major assurance, tax, and advisory services firm. He holds a JD from New York Law School and a B.S. in Accounting from Binghamton University. Novie is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, New Jersey State Bar Association, and the New York State Bar Association.
Former IRS Acting Commissioner Douglas O’Donnell Joins KPMG LLP
KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax, and advisory firm, today announced that Douglas O’Donnell, former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Acting Commissioner, has joined the firm as a senior managing director within its Washington National Tax practice. The hire comes at a critical time as multinational taxpayers face an unprecedented increase in cross-border tax disputes and enhanced enforcement efforts from tax administrations worldwide.
O’Donnell brings nearly four decades of leadership from the IRS, where he held the agency’s most senior roles, including Acting Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, and Commissioner of the Large Business and International Division. As Acting Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner, he oversaw approximately 100,000 employees while leading strategic planning and organizational transformation efforts across the agency during a period of significant modernization.
Throughout his IRS tenure, O’Donnell played a pivotal role in dispute prevention and resolution matters, including through his role in developing and overseeing programs such as the IRS Compliance Assurance Process (CAP) and the OECD International Compliance Assurance Programme (ICAP). He also served as the U.S. Competent Authority, overseeing the IRS’s Advance Pricing and Mutual Agreement (APMA) program that administers the U.S. tax treaty network. His experience extends to technology modernization and process improvement initiatives that transformed agency operations.
In his new role, O’Donnell will co-lead the Tax Controversy & Dispute Resolution (TCDR) group within Washington National Tax, where he will help clients navigate complex tax issues with the IRS and foreign tax authorities. He will also assist clients with developing dispute prevention strategies to minimize tax controversy exposure.
O’Donnell earned his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Maryland and completed advanced executive education programs, including the Internal Revenue Service Executive Development program and the Harvard Kennedy School of Public Policy Comparative Tax Policy and Administration program.
Bennett Thrasher Expands Dallas Presence with Hiring of New Partner Joy Goldblatt
Bennett Thrasher, a nationally acclaimed full-service accounting and advisory firm, is reinforcing its commitment to becoming a leader in the Dallas-Fort Worth market by welcoming Joy Goldblatt as a tax partner in its Dallas office.
In her new role, Goldblatt will lead tax consulting and compliance services for middle-market, closely held businesses. Beyond client service, she also plans to expand Bennett Thrasher’s Southwest presence and build out the tax team with strategic hires to support continued growth.
Goldblatt brings a strong track record to Bennett Thrasher, having spent the first decade of her career servicing asset and wealth management clients across the industry spectrum that focused on private equity, fund-of-funds, and secondary funds, including ASC 740 provisions, income tax returns, investor reporting, and transactional planning.
Goldblatt is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and ProVisors, a professional networking group that connects established advisors to peers across various business service sectors.
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