Compensation Escalation Cycle
Compensation Escalation Cycle
Market
Archetype
Mechanical
Natural
Tier
Priority Review
Trajectory Thumbprint
Compensation Escalation Cycle
What does this mean?
Revenue grows modestly, but top officer compensation grows consistently for 5 years, breaching danger zones. The executive is negotiating aggressive raises against a compliant board.
The Path Forward
The Steward
Re-establishes board supremacy over executive extraction. It freezes compensation and mandates that all future financial rewards be tied strictly to verifiable mission expansion.
The Steward
Institutional Health Scores
5-yr trend: Compensation Escalation Cycle ↓
Overall
31
Score
Governance
42
Score
Financial
45
Score
Program
15
Score
Title
-
Institutions
-
Avg Revenue
-
Risk Profile
Representative Institutions
Institutional Epochs
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Financial Era
Governance Era
Trajectory Era
Compensation Escalation
Historical Performance
| Year | Revenue | Top Comp | Comp % Rev | Score | Phase Label | Outlook | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Hidden | Hidden | — | — | Unknown | — | |
| 2024 | Hidden | Hidden | — | — | Unknown | — | |
| 2023 | — | — | 54.8% | 31 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2022 | — | — | 66.5% | 37 | Governance-Stressed | Gov Risk | |
| 2021 | — | — | 98.4% | 33 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2020 | — | — | 41.8% | 36 | Fragile | Gov Risk | |
| 2019 | — | — | 33.9% | 38 | Governance-Stressed | Recovery | |
| 2018 | — | — | — | 37 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2017 | — | — | — | 41 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2016 | — | — | — | 41 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2015 | — | — | — | 41 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2014 | — | — | — | 37 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2013 | — | — | — | 37 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2012 | — | — | — | 33 | Critical Intervention Needed | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2025
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Miles | Artistic Director | 23.6% of Rev | ||
| Matthew Miles | Artistic Director | 20.4% of Rev | ||
| Zach DeChance | Accompanist | 11.5% of Rev | ||
| Zach DeChance | Accompanist | 11.1% of Rev | ||
| Susan Winckler | Artistic Director | 6.3% of Rev | ||
| Susan Winckler | Artistic Director | 5.5% of Rev | ||
| Mindy Kim | Alto Staff Singer | 5.2% of Rev | ||
| Patrick Blackwell | Bass Staff Singer | 4.9% of Rev | ||
| Karen Morrison | Soprano Staff Singer | 4.8% of Rev | ||
| Karen Morrison | Soprano Staff Singer | 4.6% of Rev | ||
| Mindy Kim | Alto Staff Singer | 4.5% of Rev | ||
| Robin Billings-Reyes | Women's Section Leader | 3.9% of Rev | ||
| Patrick Blackwell | Bass Staff Singer | 3.8% of Rev | ||
| Robin Billings-Reyes | Women's Section Leader | 3.1% of Rev | ||
| Will Rowley | Tenor Staff Singer | 1.8% of Rev | ||
| John Beckman | Board President | — | ||
| Deena Ortiz | Board President | — | ||
| Lisa Simpson | Treasurer | — | ||
| Nancy Rodewold | Secretary | — | ||
| Tom Molinaro | Board Member | — | ||
| Margaret Riehn | Board Member | — | ||
| John Beckman | Board President | — | ||
| Deena Ortiz | Board President | — | ||
| Lisa Simpson | Treasurer | — | ||
| Nancy Rodewold | Secretary | — | ||
| Tom Molinaro | Board Member | — | ||
| Margaret Riehn | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2023
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irene Messoloras | Artistic Director | 27.7% of Rev | ||
| Matthew Miles | Artistic Director | 17.0% of Rev | ||
| Zach DeChance | Accompanist | 10.4% of Rev | ||
| Zach DeChance | Accompanist | 8.8% of Rev | ||
| Susan Winckler | Artistic Director | 6.5% of Rev | ||
| Susan Winckler | Artistic Director | 5.0% of Rev | ||
| Will Rowley | Staff Singer | 3.7% of Rev | ||
| Scott Ziemann | Paid Singer And Section Leader | 3.6% of Rev | ||
| Scott Ziemann | Paid Singer And Section Leader | 3.4% of Rev | ||
| Ariel Pistorino | Staff Singer | 3.2% of Rev | ||
| Tom Molinaro | Board President | — | ||
| Margaret Riehn | Board President | — | ||
| Lisa Simpson | Treasurer | — | ||
| Aaron Lee | Board Member | — | ||
| John Beckman | Board Member | — | ||
| Nancy Rodewold | Secretary | — | ||
| Tom Molinaro | Board President | — | ||
| Margaret Riehn | Board President | — | ||
| Lisa Simpson | Treasurer | — | ||
| Aaron Lee | Board Member | — | ||
| John Beckman | Board Member | — | ||
| Brittany Herndon | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irene Messoloras | Artistic Director | 26.5% of Rev | ||
| Irene Messoloras | Artistic Director | 23.6% of Rev | ||
| Zach DeChance | Accompanist | 5.1% of Rev | ||
| David Peters | Recording Engineering | 4.6% of Rev | ||
| Zach DeChance | Accompanist | 4.3% of Rev | ||
| Susan Winckler | Artistic Director | 3.1% of Rev | ||
| Scott Ziemann | Paid Singer And Section Leader | 2.2% of Rev | ||
| Ariel Pistorino | Staff Singer | 1.8% of Rev | ||
| Steve O'Donnell | Paid Singer | 1.5% of Rev | ||
| Scott Ziemann | Paid Singer And Section Leader | 0.8% of Rev | ||
| Ariel Pistorino | Staff Singer | 0.8% of Rev | ||
| Tom Molinaro | Board President | — | ||
| Margaret Riehn | Board President | — | ||
| Louise Webber | Secretary | — | ||
| Lisa Simpson | Treasurer | — | ||
| Aaron Lee | Board Member | — | ||
| John Beckman | Board Member | — | ||
| Judy Carpenter | Board Member | — | ||
| Susan Winckler | Artistic Director | — | ||
| Tom Molinaro | Board President | — | ||
| Margaret Riehn | Board President | — | ||
| Lisa Simpson | Treasurer | — | ||
| Aaron Lee | Board Member | — | ||
| John Beckman | Board Member | — | ||
| Brittany Herndon | Board Member | — |
Officer contact details, exact compensation figures, and active litigation are available to verified members.
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Score breakdown
Score breakdown
Financial resilience
45 / 100
weight 40%
Governance risk
42 / 100
weight 40%
Program scale
15 / 100
weight 20%
Overall
31 / 100
Priority Review
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 829 other orgs in CA with NTEE prefix A6.
Most-divergent component: program score sits 17 points below the peer median (15 vs. 32).
5-year trend: Compensation Escalation Cycle
Revenue grows modestly, but top officer compensation grows consistently for 5 years, breaching danger zones. The executive is negotiating aggressive raises against a compliant board.
What's driving this score
- Comp-to-revenue ratio of 54.8% is well above the sector's 90th percentile (healthy band: 18–22%).
What would change this score
The two changes that would most improve this score:
- Reduce top-officer compensation from 54.8% to under 22% of revenue — would move governance score by ~40 points.
- Separate signing authority from fundraising authority when both are held by one person — removes the concentration penalty (~12 points).
Improving governance is a board decision. These are the levers.