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.
Title
Representative Institutions
Institutional Epochs
Historical Performance
| Year | Revenue | Top Comp | Comp % Rev | Score | Phase Label | Outlook | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | — | — | 33.8% | 39 | Critical Intervention Needed | Gov Risk | |
| 2022 | — | — | 14.5% | 45 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2021 | — | — | 24.7% | 47 | Fragile | Gov Risk | |
| 2020 | — | — | 16.5% | 47 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2019 | — | — | 1.4% | 52 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2018 | — | — | 11.6% | 50 | Fragile | Gov Risk | |
| 2017 | — | — | 16.7% | 34 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2016 | — | — | 17.0% | 32 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2015 | — | — | 17.1% | 32 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2014 | — | — | 24.1% | 34 | Critical Intervention Needed | Gov Risk | |
| 2013 | — | — | 13.9% | 38 | Critical Intervention Needed | Gov Risk | |
| 2012 | — | — | 19.1% | 43 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2011 | — | — | 3.4% | 55 | Fragile | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2023
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PETER LEONARD | Board Member | 20.6% of Rev | ||
| MARCO NISTICO | Board Member | 0.1% of Rev | ||
| LIZ FOSTER | Board President | — | ||
| MARJORIE KEYMER | Board President | — | ||
| BETTYE THOMAS CHAMBERS | Secretary | — | ||
| DOUG LEE | Treasurer | — | ||
| STEVE BALDWIN | Board Member | — | ||
| LAMAR CECIL | Board Member | — | ||
| ALLISON DAUGHERTY | Board Member | — | ||
| DELORES FOWLER | Board Member | — | ||
| MARY CATHERINE GARRISON | Board Member | — | ||
| MARGARET ANNE HILL | Board Member | — | ||
| SHIRLEY SAUNDERS JONES | Board Member | — | ||
| WENDY KENNEDY | Board Member | — | ||
| SUSAN MORRIS | Board Member | — | ||
| DAVID NEUMEYER | Board Member | — | ||
| JANICE C PUCKETT | Board Member | — | ||
| PATRICIA SCHEWEL | Board Member | — | ||
| DAVID TATE | Board Member | — | ||
| ROBERT C WOOD III | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2022
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PETER LEONARD | Board Member | 15.4% of Rev | ||
| MARCO NISTICO | Board Member | 6.1% of Rev | ||
| LIZ FOSTER | Board President | — | ||
| MARJORIE KEYMER | Board President | — | ||
| BETTYE THOMAS CHAMBERS | Secretary | — | ||
| DOUG LEE | Treasurer | — | ||
| TOM RICHARDS | Board Member | — | ||
| STEVE BALDWIN | Board President | — | ||
| BRUCE CHRISTIAN | Board President | — | ||
| LAMAR CECIL | Board Member | — | ||
| ALLISON DAUGHERTY | Board Member | — | ||
| LAUREN DIANICH | Board President | — | ||
| MARY CATHERINE GARRISON | Board Member | — | ||
| MARGARET ANNE HILL | Board Member | — | ||
| WENDY KENNEDY | Board President | — | ||
| DAVID LEE | Board Member | — | ||
| POWELL M LEITCH III | Board Member | — | ||
| DAVID NEUMEYER | Board President | — | ||
| JANICE C PUCKETT | Board Member | — | ||
| PATRICIA SCHEWEL | Board President | — | ||
| DAVID TATE | Board Member | — | ||
| ROBERT C WOOD III | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIZ FOSTER | Board President | — | ||
| MARJORIE KEYMER | Board President | — | ||
| BETTYE THOMAS CHAMBERS | Secretary | — | ||
| DOUG LEE | Treasurer | — | ||
| STEVE BALDWIN | Board Member | — | ||
| LAMAR CECIL | Board Member | — | ||
| ALLISON DAUGHTERY | Board Member | — | ||
| LAUREN DIANICH | Board Member | — | ||
| MARY GARRISON | Board Member | — | ||
| WENDY KENNEDY | Board Member | — | ||
| DAVID NEUMEYER | Board Member | — | ||
| JANICE C PUCKETT | Board Member | — | ||
| TOM RICHARDS | Board Member | — | ||
| PATRICIA SCHEWEL | Board Member | — | ||
| DAVE TATE | Board Member | — | ||
| ROBIN WOOD | Board Member | — |
Score breakdown
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 146 other orgs in VA with NTEE prefix A6.
Most-divergent component: program score sits 16 points above the peer median (45 vs. 29).
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.
Overall score has gone from 52 → 39 over 5 years (declining by 13 points). A multi-year directional move of this magnitude is a signal worth investigating.
What's driving this score
- Comp-to-revenue ratio of 33.8% is above the 90th percentile for orgs of this size (healthy band: 18–22%).
- Sustained governance decline: score fell from 58 to 42 across 4 years — a multi-year pattern, not a single bad filing.
What would change this score
The two changes that would most improve this score:
- Reduce top-officer compensation from 33.8% to under 22% of revenue — would move governance score by ~24 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.