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
39
Score
Governance
42
Score
Financial
50
Score
Program
30
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
Compensation Escalation
Historical Performance
| Year | Revenue | Top Comp | Comp % Rev | Score | Phase Label | Outlook | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Hidden | Hidden | — | — | Unknown | — | |
| 2024 | Hidden | Hidden | — | — | Unknown | — | |
| 2023 | — | — | 48.6% | 39 | Critical Intervention Needed | Recovery | |
| 2022 | — | — | — | 43 | Financially Distressed | Recovery | |
| 2021 | — | — | 41.8% | 42 | Governance-Stressed | Recovery | |
| 2020 | — | — | 33.6% | 40 | Critical Intervention Needed | Decline Risk | |
| 2019 | — | — | 41.1% | 42 | Critical Intervention Needed | Gov Risk | |
| 2018 | — | — | — | 49 | Fragile | Stable Watch | |
| 2016 | — | — | — | 49 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2015 | — | — | — | 45 | Fragile | Decline Risk | |
| 2014 | — | — | — | 49 | Fragile | Recovery | |
| 2013 | — | — | — | 43 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2012 | — | — | — | 45 | Financially Distressed | Decline Risk | |
| 2011 | — | — | — | 49 | Fragile | Stable Watch |
Officer compensation history
Tax year 2026
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Carlson | Executive Director | 35.0% of Rev | ||
| Dr Welborn Young | Artistic Director | 13.6% of Rev | ||
| Deborah Bowers | Board Member | — | ||
| Christine Burnside | Board Member | — | ||
| Bramley Crisco | Board Member | — | ||
| Carmen Deese | Board President | — | ||
| Emily Hedrick | Board Member | — | ||
| Alisha Homer | Treasurer | — | ||
| Chad Merritt | Board President | — | ||
| Sheila Morrell | Board Member | — | ||
| George Reynolds | Board Member | — | ||
| Scott Taylor | Secretary | — | ||
| Amy Vetter | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2025
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Carlson | Executive Director | 35.0% of Rev | ||
| Dr Welborn Young | Artistic Director | 13.6% of Rev | ||
| Bramley Crisco | Board President | — | ||
| Carmen Deese | Board President | — | ||
| Nancy Griffith | Board President | — | ||
| Alisha Homer | Board Member | — | ||
| Julian McKinney | Treasurer | — | ||
| Marcia Moore | Secretary | — | ||
| William Mac Nelson | Board Member | — | ||
| Geoff Swan | Board Member | — | ||
| Angela Talton | Board Member | — | ||
| Virginia Williamson | Board Member | — | ||
| Amy Yandell | Board Member | — | ||
| Kathy Adams | Board Member | — | ||
| Tony Bengel | Board Member | — | ||
| Sarah Chowning | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2023
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEFF CARLSON | EXECUTIVE DI | 34.0% of Rev | ||
| DR WELBORN YOUNG | Artistic Director | 13.2% of Rev | ||
| BRAMLEY CRISCO | Board President | — | ||
| JULIAN W MCKINNEY | Treasurer | — | ||
| DEB HARRIS RICHARDSON | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| ANTHONY BENGEL | Board Member | — | ||
| SUSAN FRENCH | Board Member | — | ||
| ELIZABETH HAILE | Board Member | — | ||
| NANCY GRIFFITH | Board President | — | ||
| PETER CARVER | Board Member | — | ||
| MARCIA HOUCK MOORE | Secretary | — | ||
| SARAH CHOWNING | Board Member | — | ||
| CARMEN DEESE | Board Member | — | ||
| ALAN ROSS | Board Member | — | ||
| BECCA SUCO | Board Member | — | ||
| ANGELA TALTON | Board Member | — | ||
| GEOFF SWAN | Board Member | — | ||
| VIRGINIA WILLIAMSON | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2022
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEFF CARLSON | EXECUTIVE DI | 22.0% of Rev | ||
| DR WELBORN YOUNG | Artistic Director | 10.9% of Rev | ||
| DAVID GIRARDI | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| JULIAN W MCKINNEY | Treasurer | — | ||
| DEB HARRIS RICHARDSON | Board President | — | ||
| ANTHONY BENGEL | Board Member | — | ||
| SUSAN FRENCH | Board Member | — | ||
| ELIZABETH HAILE | Board Member | — | ||
| NANCY GRIFFITH | Board Member | — | ||
| ANDREA KNUPP | Board Member | — | ||
| MARCIA HOUCK MOORE | Secretary | — | ||
| STEVE MORTON | Board Member | — | ||
| CATHY STERNBERGH | Board Member | — | ||
| JANE THOMPSON | Board Member | — |
Tax year 2021
| Name | Title | Phone | Compensation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEFF CARLSON | EXECUTIVE DI | 21.4% of Rev | ||
| DR WELBORN YOUNG | Artistic Director | 10.6% of Rev | ||
| DAVID GIRARDI | PAST PRESIDE | — | ||
| JULIAN W MCKINNEY | Treasurer | — | ||
| DEB HARRIS RICHARDSON | Board President | — | ||
| ANTHONY BENGEL | Board Member | — | ||
| SUSAN FRENCH | Board Member | — | ||
| KIMBERLY SANDERS ROBERTS | Board Member | — | ||
| ELIZABETH HAILE | Board Member | — | ||
| NANCY GRIFFITH | Board Member | — | ||
| ANDREA KNUPP | Board Member | — | ||
| MARCIA HOUCK MOORE | Secretary | — | ||
| STEVE MORTON | Board Member | — | ||
| CATHY STERNBERGH | Board Member | — | ||
| JANE THOMPSON | 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
50 / 100
weight 40%
Governance risk
42 / 100
weight 40%
Program scale
30 / 100
weight 20%
Overall
39 / 100
Priority Review
The three components combine into a single 0–100 score weighted as shown. Full methodology →
Peer comparison
Compared to 146 other orgs in NC with NTEE prefix A6.
Most-divergent component: financial score sits 13 points above the peer median (50 vs. 37).
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 48.6% 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 48.6% 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.