Samantha is licensed to practice law in North Carolina since 1996. She has been a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LFTM-A) in North Carolina since 2022.

She is Senior Managing Director for Guidepost Solutions, LLC, a Washington D.C.-based company focused on domestic and international investigations, compliance solutions, monitoring, and security and technology consulting.

In this role, Kilpatrick leads the Faith-Based Organizations practice group. This group collaborates with religious institutions and parachurch organizations of all faiths and practices both in the U.S. and abroad on a host of compliance, cultural and investigative matters.

Before joining Guidepost Solutions, Kilpatrick was founding member of Kilpatrick Law Group, PLLC, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her areas of practice included general civil litigations and criminal law and traffic offenses. She also provided general counsel services for a variety of faith-based organizations, including consulting for abuse awareness, prevention and response.

She holds degrees in Christian Marriage, Family, and Individual Counseling (B.A., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2021), law (University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill, 1996), and Political Studies and Psychology (B.A., Meredith College, 1993).

Aaron M. Hill is an editor, former pastor, and theologian who has served with ChurchSalary since 2020. He stewards a team of dedicated professionals who are actively building and improving a groundbreaking data and software platform that provides salary data for tens of thousands of church staff ever year.

Aaron earned his undergraduate degree in Rhetoric from Georgia College & State University in 2004, with the goal of teaching and preaching in full-time vocational ministry. He subsequently attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas and earned a Master of Arts in Christian Education degree in 2007.

From 2003 to 2017, Aaron served in a pastoral capacity in three local churches in Georgia and Texas, serving primarily as an Associate/Education Pastor. In his work at ChurchSalary, he leans heavily on his experience serving in multiple roles at different churches over the course of almost fifteen years.

Aaron went back to grad school to earn a Master of Arts in Systematic Theology degree from Wheaton College in 2019 with the goal of pursuing a PhD and teaching systematic theology. However, the Lord—and the global pandemic in 2020—led Aaron in a different direction, away from academia and back into a role where he can serve the local church.

From 2017 to 2020, he served as the Production Editor for VII, an academic journal published by the Marion E. Wade Center which houses the books and letters of C.S. Lewis. He still moonlights as the co-host of the Wade Center Podcast, a podcast dedicated to exploring the works and impact of the Inklings. He also serves on the Stewardship Team where he advises his local church on issues of personnel, giving, and pay.

Ken joined CapinCrouse in 2019 and has more than 16 years of public accounting and large nonprofit experience providing both advisory and assurance services to various nonprofit entities, churches, and mission organizations. Prior to joining the firm, Ken managed the audits of public Fortune 100 and private multi-billion dollar companies for a Big 4 accounting firm before shifting his focus towards providing advisory and strategic planning for churches, nonprofits, and small to medium-sized businesses. In recent years, he has also served as the controller and corporate officer for a large faith-based multi-national mission agency. Ken is known for his relationship-based consulting and management style and his personal attention to client needs.

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, member

Georgia Society of CPAs, member

Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, member

Church Law & Tax, Contributor

Certified Public Accountant (CPA) – Georgia, Texas

Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)

Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA)

AICPA Not-for-Profit Certificate

Ken served as an adjunct professor at Liberty University’s School of Business, primarily teaching financial statement analysis and accounting ethics to students. In addition, he has conducted accounting seminars and workshops for ministerial staff and clergy regarding accounting best practices and developments for their churches and religious nonprofits. He has served as a speaker for national conferences and seminars, including the AICPA National Not-for Profit Conference.

B.S., Georgia Institute of Technology

M.S., University of Virginia

Lane Paulsen is senior counsel at Ruta, Soulios & Stratis LLP in New York City, where she specializes in providing legal counsel for not-for-profit organizations, including churches, religious institutions, schools, and universities across the United States. With a deep commitment to faith-based organizations, Lane’s work spans corporate, transactional, employment, and governance matters, helping these organizations thrive while remaining compliant with legal and ethical standards.

In her corporate practice, Lane assists in the formation of new tax-exempt entities, offers board member training, and drafts policies that not only ensure legal compliance but also align with the values and mission of each organization. Lane also conducts investigations for local churches and denominational offices, addressing sensitive issues such as workplace harassment, abuse of power, and spiritual abuse, ensuring that these matters are handled with care and integrity. Lane regularly speaks on key issues such as governance, child protection, sexual harassment prevention, and facility security.

Prior to joining Ruta, Soulios & Stratis, Lane served for over a decade as General Counsel at Times Square Church, where she was a member of the Executive Leadership team. In this role, she focused on employment practices, risk management, intellectual property, and contracts, ensuring that the church’s operations were legally sound and aligned with its mission to serve and support the community. Lane is a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and Lee University.