Staying Fit
In April 2010, National Journal listed the top, non-profit trade association and lobbyists compensation in Washington, D.C. for 2009 (April 3, 2010, “Top Execs’ Compensation Doesn’t Stop With Salary,” by Bara Vaida). That story is available here (DOC), but National Journal is a subscription-only site. We’ve provided a little detail from that story below since you may not be a subscriber.
2009 was a “short” year for AARP’s CEO A. Barry Rand – he was appointed in the spring – his base compensation was $442,308. Add on other compensation available in the IRS Form 990 (PDF), and in 2009 his total compensation was $551,349. If you include retirement and other non-taxable benefits (such as his pension) he made $648,640.
In 2010, his first full year, he made $575,000 in salary. His total compensation was approximately $680,000 – the IRS Form 990 for 2010 is due out in a few months, and we’ll post it as soon as we file it.
When Rand’s compensation is compared to the top 25 highest-paid CEOs of Washington’s biggest trade associations, professional societies, think tanks, and interest groups, the difference is stark.
Rand’s $680,000 in total compensation for 2010 is about one-third the total compensation for the person who came in LAST on the list in 2009. Steve Miller, the president and CEO of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, made $1.736 million.
First on the list was John J. Castellani, at the time the president of the Business Roundtable, who made $5.566 million in 2009. That’s more than eight times what Rand is expected to make in 2010. Rounding out the top three for 2009 are Billy Tauzin, then president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) at $4.476 million, and Scott Serota, the president and CEO of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, at $3.993 million.
AARP needs to be competitive to recruit and retain the best personnel. But AARP is far from the highest paying. In fact, when it comes to the list of the highest paid association CEO’s, we don’t even make the list.
