A member of the Grants Management practice unit, Julie has more than 20 years of financial and administrative experience in the public sector, nonprofit, and for-profit industries. Her expertise includes financial reporting, grants management, and compliance, grant writing, coordination of grant applications and RFPs, and audit preparation, including Single Audits, financial reporting, and board governance.

In addition to meeting the accounting and advisory needs of her clients, she is a trusted professional offering strategic planning, cash forecasting, and financial operational assessments. She has additional experience with capital campaigns and construction services as well as system implementations.

Julie serves as the lead project manager for the Missouri DESE engagement. In this role, she and her team are responsible for supporting the state with projects related to the CARES Act; CRRSA Act; ARPA, including ESSER I, II, and III; and EANS, through the U.S. Department of Education. She also has experience managing multiple other federal grants through CARES Act, ARPA, Health and Human Services, HUD, U.S. Department of Labor, and U.S. Department of Justice.

She actively interacts with boards, commissioners, and councils, including presentations and preparing clear, concise, and timely reports. She has extensive experience applying her analytical skills to Uniform Guidance, contract compliance, and aligning financial resources and program compliance requirements.

In her prior experience as a chief financial officer, Julie was a member of the senior leadership team in a high-growth environment with oversight for finance, grants administration, treasury, risk management, contract administration, human resources, technology, facilities, and retail operations. She actively participated in board and executive committee meetings and served as staff liaison with audit and finance committees, including multiple investment committees.

She is a member of TXCPA and Association for Financial Professionals and is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP).

Julie is a graduate of Texas A&M University, College Station, with a B.S. degree in economics, and a graduate of the University of Dallas, Irving, Texas, with an M.B.A. degree. 

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. 

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