The Founder's Trap
The Founder's Trap
The Founder's Trap Market Archetype Mechanical Natural
Tier
Stable
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
The Dispersal
Institutional Health Scores
5-yr trend: The Founder's Trap
Overall
51
Score
Governance
58
Score
Financial
40
Score
Program
60
Score

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
2025 Hidden Hidden Unknown
2024 Hidden Hidden Unknown
2023 Hidden Hidden 0.0% 51 Fragile Decline Risk
2022 3.2% 55 Fragile Recovery
2021 26.5% 46 Fragile Gov Risk
2020 16.3% 47 Fragile Decline Risk
2019 3.3% 55 Fragile Recovery
2018 16.2% 47 Fragile Decline Risk
2017 7.5% 54 Fragile Stable Watch
2016 5.8% 54 Fragile Recovery
2015 13.9% 44 Financially Distressed Decline Risk
2014 14.6% 48 Fragile Decline Risk
2013 5.6% 54 Fragile Recovery
2012 19.1% 37 Financially Distressed Decline Risk
2011 17.1% 43 Financially Distressed Stable Watch

Officer compensation history

Tax year 2026

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
Shawn Randall Board Member 0.1% of Rev
Jamie Richards Board Member
Lou Liberatore Board Member
Donna R Ward Board President
Russell G Jones Board President
Eddie Boroevich Secretary
Jacqueline F Strayer Board Member
Akyiaa Wilson Board Member
Danielle Covington Board Member
Denaka Perry Board Member
Chau Haber Board Member
Janet Zarish Board Member

Tax year 2025

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
Shawn Randall Board Member 0.0% of Rev
Lynette R Freeman Board Member
Lou Liberatore Board Member
Donna R Ward Board President
Russell G Jones Board President
Eddie Boroevich Secretary
Jacqueline F Strayer Board Member
Robert Jaffe Treasurer
Denny Denniston Board Member
Denaka Perry Board Member
Chau Haber Board Member
Janet Zarish Board Member
Jerry Zaks Dir. Emeritus

Tax year 2023

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
Susan Vitucci Secretary 9.2% of Rev
Graeme Gillis Interim AD 7.9% of Rev
William Carden Artistic Director 5.4% of Rev
Shawn Randall Board Member 0.1% of Rev
Erin Cherry Board Member 0.1% of Rev
Robert Jaffe Board President
Jerry Zaks Board Member
Donna R Ward Board Member
Russell G Jones Board Member
Eddie Boroevich Board Member
Kelli Lynn Harrison Board President
GH Denniston Jr Treasurer
Ilena George Board Member
Robert S Isaacson Board Member
Dee Dee Perry Board Member
Sharina Martin Board President
Janet Zarish Board Member
Kenneth Mandel Board Member

Tax year 2022

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
William Carden Artistic Director 10.7% of Rev
Susan Vitucci Executive Dir. 9.1% of Rev
Sharina Martin Board President 0.3% of Rev
G H Denniston Jr Treasurer
Bob Jaffe Chairman
Kelli Lynn Harrison Board President
Kenneth Mandel Board Member
Ilena George Board Member
Robert Isaacson Board Member
Russell G Jones Board Member
Shawn Randall Board Member
Donna R Ward Board Member
Jerry Zaks Board Member
Janet Zarish Board Member

Tax year 2021

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
WILLIAM CARDEN Artistic Director 10.7% of Rev
SUSAN VITUCCI Executive Director 2.1% of Rev
ABIGAL GAMPEL Board Member
G H DENNISTON JR Treasurer
ERIN CHERRY Board President
BOB JAFFE Board President
FRED BERNER Board Member
SHARINA MARTIN Board President
KENNETH MANDEL Board Member
MELINA BROWN Board Member
ILENE KRISTEN Board Member
RUSSEL G JONES Board Member
JANET ZARISH Board Member
JERRY ZAKS Board Member
BOB ISSACSON Board Member
SHAWN RANDALL Board Member
DONNA R WARD Board Member
BRUCE GEISMAR Board Member
WAYNE KABAK Secretary
ILENA GEORGE Board Member
Officer contact details, exact compensation figures, and active litigation are available to verified members.
Request access
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
Stable

The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →

Peer comparison

Compared to 699 other orgs in NY with NTEE prefix A6.

Most-divergent component: program score sits 31 points above the peer median (60 vs. 29).

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.

What's driving this score

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.