The Founder's Trap
The Founder's Trap
Market
Archetype
Mechanical
Natural
Tier
Developing
Trajectory Thumbprint
The Founder's Trap
What does this mean?
10-year flat revenue, below-market executive comp, and a small board. The organization survives purely on the sweat equity of a founder, making it utterly un-transferable.
The Path Forward
The Dispersal
Forces succession planning and structural maturity. It requires raising capacity-building funds to decouple the organization's survival from the founder's personal sacrifice.
The Dispersal
Institutional Health Scores
5-yr trend: The Founder's Trap ↓
Overall
51
Score
Governance
58
Score
Financial
40
Score
Program
60
Score
Title
-
Institutions
-
Avg Revenue
-
Risk Profile
Representative Institutions
Institutional Epochs
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Financial Era
Governance Era
Trajectory Era
Founders Trap
Historical Performance
| Year | Revenue | Top Comp | Comp % Rev | Score | Phase Label | Outlook | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | — | — | 2.3% | 51 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2022 | — | — | 2.9% | 55 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2021 | — | — | 9.3% | 54 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2020 | — | — | 3.9% | 51 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2019 | — | — | 3.1% | 55 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2018 | — | — | 5.0% | 50 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2017 | — | — | — | 52 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2016 | — | — | 3.1% | 55 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2015 | — | — | 3.7% | 54 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2014 | — | — | 3.8% | 51 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2013 | — | — | 1.8% | 51 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2012 | — | — | 0.9% | 55 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2011 | — | — | 2.4% | 47 | Financially Distressed | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2023
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAYNE S BROWN | Executive Director | 1.2% of Rev | ||
| YUVAL SHARON | Artistic Director | 1.0% of Rev | ||
| PATRICIA WALKER | CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFIC | 0.8% of Rev | ||
| DAVID OSBORNE | Board Member | 0.6% of Rev | ||
| CHRISTINE HOLLOWAY | Artistic Director | 0.5% of Rev | ||
| R JAMISON WILLIAMS JR | Board Member | — | ||
| CAMERON B DUNCAN | Board Member | — | ||
| NAOMI ANDRE | Board Member | — | ||
| LEE BARTHEL | Board Member | — | ||
| GENE P BOWEN | Secretary | — | ||
| RICHARD A BRODIE | Board Member | — | ||
| ELIZABETH BROOKS | Board Member | — | ||
| ROBERT BROWN | Board Member | — | ||
| JAMES K CIROLI | Board Member | — | ||
| MARY KRAMER | Board Member | — | ||
| JOANNE DANTO | Board President | — | ||
| JULIA DONOVAN DARLOW | Board Member | — | ||
| ETHAN DAVIDSON | Board President | — | ||
| KEVIN DENNIS | Board Member | — | ||
| SHAUNA RYDER DIGGS | Board Member | — | ||
| ENRICO DIGIROLAMO | Treasurer | — | ||
| MICHAEL EINHEUSER | Board Member | — | ||
| MARIANNE ENDICOTT | Board Member | — | ||
| PAUL E EWING | Board Member | — | ||
| DONALD MORELOCK | Board Member | — | ||
| DENISE J LEWIS | Board Member | — | ||
| RICHARD G GOETZ | Board Member | — | ||
| JOHN P HALE | Board Member | — | ||
| DEVON HOOVER | Board Member | — | ||
| DANIALLE KARMANOS | Board Member | — | ||
| BARBARA KRATCHMAN | Board Member | — | ||
| THOMAS M KRIKORIAN | Board Member | — | ||
| ALPHONSE S LUCARELLI | Board Member | — | ||
| DONALD MANVEL | Board Member | — | ||
| ALI MOIIN | Board Member | — | ||
| PETER OLEKSIAK | Board President | — | ||
| SARA POZZI | Board Member | — | ||
| PAUL RAGHEB | Board Member | — | ||
| RUTH RATTNER | Board Member | — | ||
| ANKUR RUNGTA | Board President | — | ||
| TERRY SHEA | Board Member | — | ||
| MATTHEW SIMONCINI | Board Member | — | ||
| RICHARD SONENKLAR | Board Member | — | ||
| DR LORNA THOMAS | Board Member | — | ||
| JESSE VENEGAS | Board Member | — | ||
| ELLEN HILL ZERINGUE | Board Member | — | ||
| GARY WASSERMAN | Board Member | — | ||
| PAMELA RODGERS | Board Member | — | ||
| DEXTER MASON | Board Member | — | ||
| FERN ESPINO | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2022
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAYNE S BROWN | Executive Director | 1.1% of Rev | ||
| PATRICIA WALKER | CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFIC | 0.7% of Rev | ||
| DAVID OSBORNE | Board Member | 0.5% of Rev | ||
| R JAMISON WILLIAMS JR | Board Member | — | ||
| CAMERON B DUNCAN | Board Member | — | ||
| C THOMAS TOPPIN | Board Member | — | ||
| MARGARET ALLESEE | Board Member | — | ||
| NAOMI ANDRE | Board Member | — | ||
| LEE BARTHEL | Board Member | — | ||
| GENE P BOWEN | Secretary | — | ||
| RICHARD A BRODIE | Board Member | — | ||
| ELIZABETH BROOKS | Board Member | — | ||
| ROBERT BROWN | Board Member | — | ||
| JAMES K CIROLI | Board Member | — | ||
| MARY KRAMER | Board Member | — | ||
| JOANNE DANTO | Board President | — | ||
| JULIA DONOVAN DARLOW | Board Member | — | ||
| ETHAN DAVIDSON | Board President | — | ||
| KEVIN DENNIS | Board Member | — | ||
| SHAUNA RYDER DIGGS | Board Member | — | ||
| ENRICO DIGIROLAMO | Treasurer | — | ||
| SONAL DUBEY | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL EINHEUSER | Board Member | — | ||
| MARIANNE ENDICOTT | Board Member | — | ||
| PAUL E EWING | Board Member | — | ||
| DONALD MORELOCK | Board Member | — | ||
| BARBARA FRANKEL | Board Member | — | ||
| HERMAN FRANKEL | Board Member | — | ||
| DENISE J LEWIS | Board Member | — | ||
| RICHARD G GOETZ | Board Member | — | ||
| JOHN P HALE | Board Member | — | ||
| DEVON HOOVER | Board Member | — | ||
| DANIALLE KARMANOS | Board Member | — | ||
| BARBARA KRATCHMAN | Board Member | — | ||
| THOMAS M KRIKORIAN | Board Member | — | ||
| ALPHONSE S LUCARELLI | Board Member | — | ||
| DONALD MANVEL | Board Member | — | ||
| ALI MOIIN | Board Member | — | ||
| PETER OLEKSIAK | Board President | — | ||
| SARA POZZI | Board Member | — | ||
| PAUL RAGHEB | Board Member | — | ||
| RUTH RATTNER | Board Member | — | ||
| ANKUR RUNGTA | Board President | — | ||
| TERRY SHEA | Board Member | — | ||
| MATTHEW SIMONCINI | Board Member | — | ||
| RICHARD SONENKLAR | Board Member | — | ||
| DR LORNA THOMAS | Board Member | — | ||
| JESSE VENEGAS | Board Member | — | ||
| ELLEN HILL ZERINGUE | Board Member | — | ||
| GARY WASSERMAN | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAYNE S BROWN | Executive Director | 1.5% of Rev | ||
| PATRICIA WALKER | CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFIC | 0.8% of Rev | ||
| DAVID OSBORNE | Board Member | 0.6% of Rev | ||
| DR DAVID DICHIERA | Artistic Director | — | ||
| R JAMISON WILLIAMS JR | Board Member | — | ||
| CAMERON B DUNCAN | Board Member | — | ||
| C THOMAS TOPPIN | Board Member | — | ||
| MARGARET ALLESEE | Board Member | — | ||
| PERNILLA AMMANN | Board Member | — | ||
| LEE BARTHEL | Board Member | — | ||
| GENE P BOWEN | Secretary | — | ||
| RICHARD A BRODIE | Board Member | — | ||
| ELIZABETH BROOKS | Board Member | — | ||
| ROBERT BROWN | Board Member | — | ||
| JAMES K CIROLI | Board Member | — | ||
| FRANOISE COLPRON | Board Member | — | ||
| JOANNE DANTO | Board Member | — | ||
| JULIA DONOVAN DARLOW | Board Member | — | ||
| ETHAN DAVIDSON | Board President | — | ||
| KEVIN DENNIS | Board Member | — | ||
| SHAUNA RYDER DIGGS | Board Member | — | ||
| ENRICO DIGIROLAMO | Treasurer | — | ||
| SONAL DUBEY | Board Member | — | ||
| MICHAEL EINHEUSER | Board Member | — | ||
| MARIANNE ENDICOTT | Board Member | — | ||
| PAUL E EWING | Board Member | — | ||
| DONALD MORELOCK | Board Member | — | ||
| BARBARA FRANKEL | Board Member | — | ||
| HERMAN FRANKEL | Board Member | — | ||
| DEAN FRIEDMAN | Board Member | — | ||
| RICHARD G GOETZ | Board Member | — | ||
| JOHN P HALE | Board Member | — | ||
| DEVON HOOVER | Board Member | — | ||
| DANIALLE KARMANOS | Board Member | — | ||
| BARBARA KRATCHMAN | Board Member | — | ||
| THOMAS M KRIKORIAN | Board Member | — | ||
| ALPHONSE S LUCARELLI | Board Member | — | ||
| DONALD MANVEL | Board Member | — | ||
| ALI MOIIN | Board Member | — | ||
| THOMAS TOPPIN | Board Member | — | ||
| PETER OLEKSIAK | Board Member | — | ||
| CHARLOTTE PODOWSKI | Board Member | — | ||
| SARA POZZI | Board Member | — | ||
| PAUL RAGHEB | Board Member | — | ||
| RUTH RATTNER | Board Member | — | ||
| ANKUR RUNGTA | Board Member | — | ||
| TERRY SHEA | Board Member | — | ||
| MATTHEW SIMONCINI | Board Member | — | ||
| RICHARD SONENKLAR | Board Member | — | ||
| DR LORNA THOMAS | Board Member | — | ||
| JESSE VENEGAS | Board Member | — | ||
| ELLEN HILL ZERINGUE | Board Member | — | ||
| GARY WASSERMAN | 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
40 / 100
weight 40%
Governance risk
58 / 100
weight 40%
Program scale
60 / 100
weight 20%
Overall
51 / 100
Developing
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 185 other orgs in MI with NTEE prefix A6.
Most-divergent component: program score sits 32 points above the peer median (60 vs. 28).
5-year trend: The Founder's Trap
10-year flat revenue, below-market executive comp, and a small board. The organization survives purely on the sweat equity of a founder, making it utterly un-transferable.
Overall score has gone from 55 → 51 over 5 years (declining by 4 points).
What's driving this score
- Comp-to-revenue ratio of 2.3% sits within the sector's healthy band (18–22%).
What would change this score
No specific high-impact levers identified — this org's score is balanced across components.
Improving governance is a board decision. These are the levers.