About Us

Aaron Patel

Tax and Consulting Partner

Aaron Patel, CPA, is the Tax and Consulting Partner of the firm and in charge of the Charlotte office. He has over thirteen years of experience in public accounting, working with small to medium sized businesses and individual taxpayers.

Aaron and his team will work with you to make sure you are meeting your tax compliance needs, while also making sure you are using everything in the tax code available to you.

Accreditation and Licenses  

Aaron Patel is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in the State of North Carolina. He has received his degrees in the Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Management and Finance from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Clayton Mitchell

Senior Tax Manager

Clayton B Mitchell, CPA, is a Tax Manager in the Charlotte office of Sharpe Patel, PLLC, and practices in the areas of taxation and consulting, going above and beyond just tax services, providing a customer service experience involving everything from basic support regarding day to day business operations, managing and streamlining bookkeeping processes, outsourced CFO work, and of course tax preparation and complex tax planning with an eye toward helping the client understand the why's and how's. He has over thirteen years of experience on a wide variety of engagements for closely held businesses and individuals in real estate, construction, manufacturing, technology, salons, restaurants, captive insurance, foreign owned subsidiaries, non-profits, all from inception, growth, maturity and exit.

Accreditation and Licenses  

Clayton is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in the State of North Carolina. He has received his degrees in the Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is also a member of the American Association of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA).

Megan Rushford

Senior Tax manager

Megan Rushford, CPA, is a Tax Manager in the Raleigh office of Sharpe Patel, PLLC. She has over 11 years of experience in Public Accounting working with individuals and small to medium sized businesses. She also works with many not-for-profit businesses and charter schools to ensure tax compliance.

Accreditation and Licenses  

Megan is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the states of North Carolina and South Carolina. She earned degrees of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Master of Public Accountancy form West Virginia University. She is a member of the American Association of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA).

Karin Gillespie

Senior Associate

Karin Gillespie is a senior tax associate located in the Charlotte office, working primarily with bookkeeping and tax engagements. Karin has 15 years of experience in public accounting as well as several years in the private sector. She assists with QuickBooks consulting, troubleshooting, implementation and training as well as bookkeeping, financial statement compilations, property tax returns, sales & use tax returns, local business returns and Form 1099s. She also prepares corporate and individual tax returns as well as assisting with tax liability planning and tax notices.

Accreditation and Licenses  

Karin is a QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor for QuickBooks Desktop, Online and Enterprise versions.  She received her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from UNC Charlotte and her Master of Science in Accounting from Strayer University in Charlotte. She has also obtained the IRS Record of Completion for the Annual Filing Season Program.

Jessica Haltom

Senior Associate

Jessica Haltom is a Senior Associate in the Charlotte office. She practices in the areas of tax and accounting. She has over ten years of experience in public accounting working with closely-held businesses in a variety of industries. She provides bookkeeping services, QuickBooks training, 1099 preparation, sales & use tax return preparation, property tax listing preparation, and assists in both business and personal tax return preparation and tax planning.

Accreditation and Licenses  

She has received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and her Master of Science in Accounting from Western Governors University. Jessica is a certified QuickBooks Desktop and Advanced Online ProAdvisor.

charlotte pielak

Tax Manager

Charlotte Pielak, CPA is a tax manager in the Charlotte office of Sharpe Patel PLLC. She has worked in accounting since 2013 and has over six years of public accounting experience, mainly working with closely-held businesses and individuals.

Accreditation and Licenses  

Charlotte is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of North Carolina. She attended Appalachian State University earning a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Accounting, with a concentration in taxation. She is a member of the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA).

Alexis Martin

Accounting Associate

Alexis Martin is an Accounting Associate in the Charlotte Office. She graduated in 2020 and this is her second year in public accounting. She assists with QuickBooks, 1099’s, property tax listings, corporate and individual tax returns.

Accreditation and Licenses  

She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Finance from University of North Carolina at Charlotte.