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Doug Lawyer-Smith
Founder & CEO
Doug has invested over 25 years in business consulting helping clients better their people, processes, and technology. The most fulfilling part of Doug's career has always been connecting with clients and colleagues to understand what they are trying to accomplish and how he can help them creatively solve their problems.
Doug has hired and onboarded hundreds of employees, and has delivered all types of training including onboarding, sales effectiveness, change management, system implementations, team building, software packages, client service, and soft skills.
Doug started his career at Cummins after graduating from Indiana University with a BS in Accounting and a minor in German. Prior to founding SweetWork, he also spent time in public accounting and consulting with Arthur Andersen, Ernst & Young, MarketSphere (now Grant Thornton), and RGP.
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Tara Lakovits
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President
Tara brings 25 years of experience helping organizations identify challenges and craft effective solutions, with a focus on people, processes, and performance. She excels at building meaningful client relationships, understanding their goals, and delivering tailored and practical solutions that drive company growth and build high-performing teams.
Tara’s background spans sales leadership, solution design, team development, and training across industries. She has led targeted trainings in areas such as Sales Prospecting, Sales Methodology, Client Service Excellence, Salesforce, SOX, and Ethics. She recruited and developed geographic and strategic account sales teams, delivering excellent customer experiences that led to consistent revenue growth.
Tara began her career in public accounting with Andersen and EY, later becoming Internal Audit Manager at Brightpoint. Before joining SweetWork, she spent 20 years at RGP, where she directed sales teams generating $50M annually. Tara holds a BS in Accounting and Computer Information Systems from Indiana University.
Rick Sauter
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Recruiting Director
Rick brings over 30 years of experience in finance, talent acquisition, and business leadership. With a proven track record in recruiting consulting talent and running executive searches for organizations ranging from privately held firms to large public companies, Rick is known for aligning talent and culture to create immediate, positive impact for clients.
Before joining SweetWork, Rick spent several years with RGP recruiting top consulting talent for high-growth markets, more than a decade with Pinnacle Partners, Inc., where he built and led the Accounting & Financial Placement Services division, Robert Half International, and ITT. Throughout his career, Rick's focus on partnership, client needs, and transparency has consistently delivered strong results in both placements and business development.
Rick began his career at Price Waterhouse and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Indiana University. He has served on the Kelley School of Business Accounting Advisory Board, participated in the Association for Corporate Growth, and spoken for the Indiana CPA Society on career development and job search strategy.
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Lisa Nguyen
Operations Director
Lisa is the Operations Director at SweetWork, where she supports a variety of areas including billing, HR, IT, marketing, onboarding, and process improvement. She brings over a decade of experience in administrative support, HR, marketing, operations, and sales, with most of her career spent in the professional services industry, primarily working with accounting and consulting firms.
Lisa earned her bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations from Brigham Young University–Idaho. She is passionate about creating efficient processes, enhancing employee and client experiences, and helping teams operate seamlessly.
Alice Washington
General Counsel
Alice enjoys solving problems and connecting people. She has practiced law for more than 35 years, primarily in-house where she was able to develop an in-depth understanding of the client's business and strong working relationships with her fellow employees. She is an all-around business lawyer with a focus on corporate organization, SEC compliance, contract negotiation and executive compensation.
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After graduating from Virginia Tech, Alice received her law degree from the University of North Carolina. She has enjoyed working in public companies across many industries - Piedmont Airlines, Wachovia Bank, Burlington Industries and RGP - as well as with a start-up business security company and the law firm of Womble Carlyle (now Womble Bond Dickinson). She is now delighted to be working with her former RGP colleague, Doug Lawyer-Smith, as SweetWork's General Counsel.
Ryan Hornaday
Consultant
Ryan brings over 25 years of corporate accounting and finance experience to help clients solve complex problems. Having served for over a decade as the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of a public company, Ryan has facilitated dozens of M&A transactions both as a buyer and a seller.
Ryan began his career at Arthur Andersen after graduating from Ball State University with a BS in Accounting. After three years in the audit division of Arthur Andersen, Ryan joined Emmis Corporation. During his 25+ years at Emmis, Ryan’s responsibilities included investor relations, SEC reporting, board reporting, banking relationships, debt compliance, budgeting and modeling, and cash forecasting. He also oversaw the tax and IT departments.
317.514.6134
Christine Moon
Consultant
Chris welcomes the opportunity to serve as a partner to her clients, helping to support them as they navigate changing business requirements. She has worked with organizations in healthcare, life sciences, insurance, real estate, manufacturing and retail to achieve successful results, whether it’s an ERP implementation, troubleshooting internal business changes, backfilling internal roles or implementing accounting control functionality.
She brings a wealth of experience in operational accounting and financial reporting, and her expertise, strong communication skills, and customer-first approach make her a perfect fit for the SweetWork Mission. She enjoys the challenges of learning about and problem solving with her clients and appreciates the opportunity to walk with them during times of change.
Before joining SweetWork, Chris spent over a decade with RGP as a highly regarded financial accounting consultant with their Indianapolis office. Chris has a BS in Accounting from Trine University and over 40 years of experience in financial accounting.
Beth Grabhorn
Consultant
Beth is a seasoned accounting and finance leader with a career rooted in helping organizations strengthen their financial operations, build effective teams, and navigate periods of change. With more than two decades of experience across healthcare, pharmaceuticals, contract research, technology, and professional services, she brings both insight and hands-on expertise to every engagement.
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She has spent the last twelve years consulting, where she has assisted clients through SOX audits, department transitions, ERP conversions, and month-end close optimization. Beth is known for stepping into the client’s environment, quickly assessing needs, and implementing solutions that enhance accuracy, compliance, and efficiency. Her prior roles as Controller at Bioanalytical Systems and Integrity Pharmaceutical highlight her ability to lead multi-site finance operations, manage budgets, and mentor accounting teams in dynamic, growing organizations.
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Beth’s technical capabilities include SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Microsoft Dynamics, Power BI, and multiple account reconciliation platforms. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Indiana University.
Dean Milburn
Consultant
Dean has spent over two decades as a trusted finance leader, helping global technology companies drive profitability and improve margins through strategic financial planning and analysis. His career has been defined by a passion for solving complex business challenges and fostering collaboration across teams to deliver innovative solutions.
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Throughout his career, Dean has led initiatives that transformed financial visibility and accuracy. At Salesforce, he managed finance and strategy for multi-billion-dollar organizations, creating models that empowered product managers and sales leaders to make informed decisions. His expertise spans financial modeling, budgeting, cost control, and long-range planning, and he has successfully partnered with top consulting firms to shape strategic objectives.
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Dean began his career in finance roles supporting healthcare and publishing before moving into leadership positions at Arcadia Resources and Salesforce. He holds an MBA in Finance and Operations Management from the University of Arizona and a BA in Economics from the University of Redlands.
Vanessa Cantwell
Consultant
Vanessa enjoys bringing clarity to complex financial environments and building strong, trusted relationships with the clients she supports. As a Consultant, she partners with organizations to create solid financial foundations through accurate reporting, streamlined processes, and reliable month-end close routines. With deep experience in corporate accounting and finance across high-growth SaaS, real estate development, and professional services firms, she is known for her detail-oriented approach and ability to create structure that enhances visibility into financial performance and empowers leaders with clear, actionable insights.
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Vanessa’s 20+ year career includes roles at Salesforce, RenPSG, Cortland Capital Market Services, and Simon Property Group. She has managed teams for more than a decade and thrives on developing people, strengthening operations, and ensuring clients feel supported, informed, and confident in their financial picture. A proud two-time graduate of Indiana University, Vanessa received her Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Real Estate from the Kelley School of Business in Bloomington and her Master of Professional Accountancy from Indiana University Indianapolis.
Holly Klerekoper
Executive Recruiter
Holly has a passion for recruiting top talent in roles spanning from rising stars at startups to C-suite executives at Fortune 500 companies. She thrives on the challenge of finding the right candidate to meet your business needs and elevate your team. She values diversity, innovation, and collaboration and strives to bring these values to every search.
Holly’s 25+ year recruiting career includes positions in agency, startup, and Fortune 500 companies. She holds Bachelor’s Degrees in Biology and English from The College of William and Mary and a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University.