The Founder's Trap
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
The Dispersal
Institutional Health Scores
5-yr trend: The Founder's Trap
Overall
49
Score
Governance
58
Score
Financial
35
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
2023 2.6% 49 Fragile Decline Risk
2022 1.8% 51 Fragile Stable Watch
2021 3.1% 51 Fragile Recovery
2020 4.7% 45 Financially Distressed Decline Risk
2019 5.4% 46 Financially Distressed Recovery
2018 48 Fragile Stable Watch
2017 1.4% 51 Fragile Recovery
2016 1.6% 47 Financially Distressed Decline Risk
2015 1.2% 51 Fragile Stable Watch
2014 1.3% 51 Fragile Stable Watch
2013 1.2% 51 Fragile Recovery
2012 2.3% 45 Financially Distressed Decline Risk
2011 2.7% 47 Financially Distressed Stable Watch

Officer compensation history

Tax year 2023

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
Riccardo Muti Board Member 1.2% of Rev
Jeff Alexander Board President 0.7% of Rev
Robert Chen Concertmaster 0.5% of Rev
Dale Hedding Vice President 0.3% of Rev
Stacie M Frank Treasurer 0.3% of Rev
John Sharp Principal Cello 0.3% of Rev
Vanessa Moss Vice President 0.3% of Rev
Stephen Williamson Principal Clarinet 0.3% of Rev
Esteban Batallan Cons Principal Trumpet 0.3% of Rev
Renay Slifka Secretary 0.1% of Rev
Kristine Stassen Secretary 0.0% of Rev
Burton X Rosenberg Board Member
Kristen C Rossi Board Member
E Scott Santi Board Member
Marlon R Smith Board Member
Walter Snodell Board Member
Dr Eugene Stark Board Member
Daniel E Sullivan Jr Board Member
Scott Swanson Board Member
Nasrin Thierer Board Member
Lisa Thomas Board Member
Terrence J Truax Board Member
Frederick H Waddell Board Member
William Ward Board Member
Paul SWatford Board Member
Craig R Williams Board Member
Robert A Wislow Board Member
Gifford R Zimmerman Board Member
Mary Louise Gorno Board President
Chester A Gougis Board President
Steven Shebik Board President
Helen Zell Board President
Renee Metcalf Treasurer
William Adams IV Board Member
Mrs Robert A Beatty Board Member
Arnold M Berlin Board Member
Laurence O Booth Board Member
William G Brown Board Member
Dean L Buntrock Board Member
Bruce E Clinton Board Member
Richard W Colburn Board Member
Richard H Cooper Board Member
Anthony T Dean Board Member
Debora de Hoyos Board Member
Charles Douglas Board Member
John A Edwardson Board Member
Thomas J Eyerman Board Member
James B Fadim Board Member
David W Fox Sr Board Member
Richard J Franke Board Member
Cyrus F Freidheim Jr Board Member
H Laurance Fuller Board Member
Mrs Robert W Galvin Board Member
Paul C Gignilliat Board Member
Joseph B Glossberg Board Member
Richard C Godfrey Board Member
William A Goldstein Board Member
Howard L Gottlieb Board Member
Mary Winton Green Board Member
Dietrich Gross Board Member
David P Hackett Board Member
Joan W Harris Board Member
John H Hart Board Member
Thomas C Heagy Board Member
Jay L Henderson Board Member
Mrs Roger B Hull Board Member
Judith W Istock Board Member
William R Jentes Board Member
Paul R Judy Board Member
Richard B Kapnick Board Member
Donald G Kempf Jr Board Member
George D Kennedy Board Member
Mrs John C Kern Board Member
Robert Kohl Board Member
Josef Lakonishok Board Member
Charles Ashby Lewis Board Member
Eva F Lichtenberg Board Member
John S Lillard Board Member
Donald G Lubin Board Member
John F Manley Board Member
Ling Z Markovitz Board Member
R Eden Martin Board Member
Arthur C Martinez Board Member
Judith W McCue Board Member
Lester H McKeever Board Member
David E McNeel Board Member
John D Nichols Board Member
James J O'Connor Board Member
William A Osborn Board Member
Mrs Albert Pawlick Board Member
Jane DiRenzo Pigott Board Member
John M Pratt Board Member
Dr Irwin Press Board Member
John W Rogers Jr Board Member
Jerry Rose Board Member
Frank A Rossi Board Member
Earl J Rusnak Jr Board Member
Cynthia M Sargent Board Member
John R Schmidt Board Member
Thomas C Sheffield Jr Board Member
Robert C Spoerri Board Member
Carl W Stern Board Member
Roger W Stone Board Member
William H Strong Board Member
Louis C Sudler Jr Board Member
Richard L Thomas Board Member
Richard P Toft Board Member
Penny Van Horn Board Member
Paul R Wiggin Board Member
John Aalbregtse Board Member
Peter J Barack Board Member
H Rigel Barber Board Member
Randy Lamm Berlin Board Member
Roderick Branch Board Member
Kay Bucksbaum Board Member
Robert J Buford Board Member
Leslie Henner Burns Board Member
Debra A Cafaro Board Member
Marion A Cameron-Gray Board Member
George P Colis Board Member
Keith S Crow Board Member
Stephen V D'Amore Board Member
Timothy A Duffy Board Member
Brian W Duwe Board Member
Charles Emmons Jr Board Member
Judith E Feldman Board Member
Graham C Grady Board Member
Lori Julian Board Member
Neil T Kawashima Board Member
Geraldine Keefe Board Member
Donna L Kendall Board Member
Thomas G Kilroy Board Member
James Kolar Board Member
Randall S Kroszner Board Member
Patty Lane Board Member
Susan C Levy Board Member
Britt M Miller Board Member
Mary Pivirotto Murley Board Member
Sylvia Neil Board Member
Shelley Ochab Board Member
Gerald Pauling Board Member
Michael A Perlstein Board Member
Jose Luis Prado Board Member
Col Jennifer N Pritzker Board Member
Dr Don M Randel Board Member
Dr Mohan Rao Board Member

Tax year 2022

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
Riccardo Muti Board Member 1.4% of Rev
Jeff Alexander Board President 0.6% of Rev
Robert Chen Concertmaster 0.4% of Rev
Dale Hedding Vice President 0.3% of Rev
Stacie M Frank Treasurer 0.3% of Rev
Stephen Williamson Principal Clarinet 0.3% of Rev
John Sharp Principal Cello 0.3% of Rev
Vanessa Moss Vice President 0.3% of Rev
David A Cooper Principal Horn 0.3% of Rev
Renay Slifka Secretary 0.1% of Rev
Karen Rahn Secretary 0.1% of Rev
Helen Zell Board President
Mary Louise Gorno Board President
Steven E Shebik Board President
Liisa Thomas Board President
Renee Metcalf Treasurer
William Adams IV Board Member
Mrs Robert A Beatty Board Member
Arnold M Berlin Board Member
Laurence O Booth Board Member
William G Brown Board Member
Dean L Buntrock Board Member
Richard W Colburn Board Member
Richard H Cooper Board Member
Anthony T Dean Board Member
Debora de Hoyos Board Member
Charles Douglas Board Member
John A Edwardson Board Member
Thomas J Eyerman Board Member
James B Fadim Board Member
David W Fox Sr Board Member
Richard J Franke Board Member
Cyrus F Freidheim Jr Board Member
H Laurance Fuller Board Member
Mrs Robert W Galvin Board Member
Paul C Gignilliat Board Member
Joseph B Glossberg Board Member
William A Goldstein Board Member
Howard L Gottlieb Board Member
Chester A Gougis Board Member
Mary Winton Green Board Member
Dietrich Gross Board Member
David P Hackett Board Member
Joan W Harris Board Member
John H Hart Board Member
Thomas C Heagy Board Member
Jay L Henderson Board Member
Mrs Roger B Hull Board Member
Judith W Istock Board Member
William R Jentes Board Member
Paul R Judy Board Member
Richard B Kapnick Board Member
Donald G Kempf Jr Board Member
George D Kennedy Board Member
Mrs John C Kern Board Member
Robert A Kohl Board Member
Fred A Krehbiel Board Member
Charles Ashby Lewis Board Member
Eva F Lichtenberg Board Member
John S Lillard Board Member
Donald G Lubin Board Member
James W Mabie Board Member
John F Manley Board Member
Ling Z Markovitz Board Member
R Eden Martin Board Member
Arthur C Martinez Board Member
Judith W McCue Board Member
Lester H McKeever Board Member
David E McNeel Board Member
John D Nichols Board Member
James J O'Connor Board Member
William A Osborn Board Member
Mrs Albert Pawlick Board Member
Jane DiRenzo Pigott Board Member
John M Pratt Board Member
John W Rogers Jr Board Member
Jerry Rose Board Member
Frank A Rossi Board Member
Earl J Rusnak Jr Board Member
Cynthia M Sargent Board Member
John R Schmidt Board Member
Thomas C Sheffield Jr Board Member
Rita Simo Board Member
Robert C Spoerri Board Member
Carl W Stern Board Member
Roger W Stone Board Member
William H Strong Board Member
Louis C Sudler Jr Board Member
Richard L Thomas Board Member
Richard P Toft Board Member
Penny Van Horn Board Member
John Aalbregtse Board Member
Peter J Barack Board Member
H Rigel Barber Board Member
Randy Lamm Berlin Board Member
Roderick Branch Board Member
Susan Bridge Board Member
Kay Bucksbaum Board Member
Robert J Buford Board Member
Leslie Henner Burns Board Member
Debra A Cafaro Board Member
Marion A Cameron Board Member
Bruce E Clinton Board Member
George P Colis Board Member
Keith S Crow Board Member
Stephen V D'Amore Board Member
Timothy A Duffy Board Member
Brian W Duwe Board Member
J Bradley Fewell Board Member
Richard C Godfrey Board Member
Graham C Grady Board Member
Lori Julian Board Member
Geraldine Keefe Board Member
Donna L Kendall Board Member
Thomas G Kilroy Board Member
James Kolar Board Member
Randall S Kroszner Board Member
Josef Lakonishok Board Member
Patty Lane Board Member
Mary Pivirotto Murley Board Member
Sylvia Neil Board Member
Shelley Ochab Board Member
Gerald Pauling Board Member
Michael A Perlstein Board Member
Jose Luis Prado Board Member
Dr Irwin Press Board Member
Col Jennifer N Pritzker Board Member
Dr Mohan Rao Board Member
Burton X Rosenberg Board Member
Kristen C Rossi Board Member
E Scott Santi Board Member
Alejandro Silva Board Member
Marlon R Smith Board Member
Walter Snodell Board Member
Daniel E Sullivan Jr Board Member
Scott Swanson Board Member
Nasrin Thierer Board Member
Terrence J Truax Board Member
Frederick H Waddell Board Member
Paul R Wiggin Board Member
Craig R Williams Board Member
Robert A Wislow Board Member
Britt M Miller Board Member
Paul S Watford Board Member
Gifford R Zimmerman Board Member

Tax year 2021

Name Title Phone Email Compensation
Riccardo Muti Board Member 1.7% of Rev
Jeff Alexander Board President 0.8% of Rev
Robert Chen Concertmaster 0.6% of Rev
John Sharp Principal Cello 0.4% of Rev
Stephen Williamson Principal Clarinet 0.4% of Rev
David Herbert Principal Timpani 0.3% of Rev
Stacie M Frank Treasurer 0.3% of Rev
Vanessa Moss Vice President 0.3% of Rev
Karen Rahn Secretary 0.1% of Rev
Dale Hedding Vice President 0.0% of Rev
R Eden Martin Board Member
Arthur C Martinez Board Member
Judith W McCue Board Member
Lester H McKeever Board Member
David E McNeel Board Member
John D Nichols Board Member
James J O'Connor Board Member
William A Osborn Board Member
Mrs Albert Pawlick Board Member
Jane DiRenzo Pigott Board Member
John M Pratt Board Member
John W Rogers Jr Board Member
Jerry Rose Board Member
Frank A Rossi Board Member
Earl J Rusnak Jr Board Member
Cynthia M Sargent Board Member
John R Schmidt Board Member
Thomas C Sheffield Jr Board Member
Rita Simo Board Member
Robert C Spoerri Board Member
Carl W Stern Board Member
Roger W Stone Board Member
William H Strong Board Member
Louis C Sudler Jr Board Member
Richard L Thomas Board Member
Richard P Toft Board Member
Penny Van Horn Board Member
John Aalbregtse Board Member
Peter J Barack Board Member
H Rigel Barber Board Member
Randy Lamm Berlin Board Member
Lori Bradley Board Member
Roderick Branch Board Member
Susan Bridge Board Member
Kay Bucksbaum Board Member
Robert J Buford Board Member
Leslie Henner Burns Board Member
Debra A Cafaro Board Member
Marion A Cameron Board Member
Bruce E Clinton Board Member
George P Colis Board Member
Keith S Crow Board Member
Dr Christoper I Culp Board Member
Stephen V D'Amore Board Member
Timothy A Duffy Board Member
Brian W Duwe Board Member
J Bradley Fewell Board Member
Richard C Godfrey Board Member
Graham C Grady Board Member
Lori Julian Board Member
Geraldine Keefe Board Member
Donna L Kendall Board Member
Thomas G Kilroy Board Member
James Kolar Board Member
Randall S Kroszner Board Member
Josef Lakonishok Board Member
Patty Lane Board Member
Christopher Melvin Board Member
Mary Pivirotto Murley Board Member
Sylvia Neil Board Member
Shelley Ochab Board Member
Elizabeth Parker Board Member
Gerald Pauling Board Member
Michael A Perlstein Board Member
Jose Luis Prado Board Member
Dr Irwin Press Board Member
Col Jennifer N Pritzker Board Member
Dr Mohan Rao Board Member
Burton X Rosenberg Board Member
Kristen C Rossi Board Member
E Scott Santi Board Member
Steven E Shebik Board Member
Alejandro Silva Board Member
Marlon R Smith Board Member
Walter Snodell Board Member
Daniel E Sullivan Jr Board Member
Scott Swanson Board Member
Nasrin Thierer Board Member
Terrence J Truax Board Member
Frederick H Waddell Board Member
Paul R Wiggin Board Member
Craig R Williams Board Member
Robert A Wislow Board Member
Helen Zell Board President
Mary Louise Gorno Board President
Robert A Kohl Board President
Liisa Thomas Board President
Renee Metcalf Treasurer
William Adams IV Board Member
Mrs Robert A Beatty Board Member
Arnold M Berlin Board Member
Laurence O Booth Board Member
William G Brown Board Member
Dean L Buntrock Board Member
Richard W Colburn Board Member
Richard H Cooper Board Member
Anthony T Dean Board Member
Debora de Hoyos Board Member
Charles Douglas Board Member
John A Edwardson Board Member
Thomas J Eyerman Board Member
James B Fadim Board Member
David W Fox Sr Board Member
Richard J Franke Board Member
Cyrus F Freidheim Jr Board Member
H Laurance Fuller Board Member
Mrs Robert W Galvin Board Member
Paul C Gignilliat Board Member
Joseph B Glossberg Board Member
William A Goldstein Board Member
Howard L Gottlieb Board Member
Chester A Gougis Board Member
Joyce T Green Board Member
Mary Winton Green Board Member
Dietrich Gross Board Member
David P Hackett Board Member
Joan W Harris Board Member
John H Hart Board Member
Thomas C Heagy Board Member
Jay L Henderson Board Member
Mrs Roger B Hull Board Member
Judith W Istock Board Member
William R Jentes Board Member
Paul R Judy Board Member
Richard B Kapnick Board Member
Donald G Kempf Jr Board Member
George D Kennedy Board Member
Mrs John C Kern Board Member
Fred A Krehbiel Board Member
Charles Ashby Lewis Board Member
Eva F Lichtenberg Board Member
John S Lillard Board Member
Donald G Lubin Board Member
James W Mabie Board Member
John F Manley Board Member
Ling Z Markovitz 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
35 / 100
weight 40%
Governance risk
58 / 100
weight 40%
Program scale
60 / 100
weight 20%
Overall
49 / 100
Developing

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

Peer comparison

Compared to 195 other orgs in IL with NTEE prefix A6.

Most-divergent component: program score sits 28 points above the peer median (60 vs. 32).

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 46 → 49 over 5 years (improving by 3 points).

What's driving this score

What would change this score

The two changes that would most improve this score:

  1. Build cash reserves to at least 3 months of operating expenses — moves financial resilience score meaningfully (~10 points).

Improving governance is a board decision. These are the levers.