The Bay Area Reporter - May 25, 2000
Terry Beswick

Christen's raise, set by SFAF's board of directors, was a relatively modest $4,227, from $183,892 to $188,119. Adding in an annual $13,201 benefit package given to all of SFAF's top earners last year, her total compensation package broke the $200,000 mark for the first time, for a grand total of $201,320.

Now in her 10th year as executive director at SFAF one of the nation's leading ASOs with prevention, housing, counseling, treatment education, and advocacy programs Christen got an 11.8 percent raise in 1997-98, keeping pace with a series of similar increases dating back to fiscal year 1990-91, when she took the top management position for $64,000.

"Pat's salary represents the board's support for her leadership," board chair Lonnie Payne told the Bay Area Reporter.

In recent years, Christen, 40, has garnered escalating controversy over the increases among some local critics. Responding to this criticism, Payne noted that the director's compensation "is well within the market range for large nonprofits."

SFAF's total income in 1998-99 was $18,099,652, an increase of about half a million dollars from fiscal year 1997-98.

"We definitely met our fundraising goals," said Payne. The organization's budget has more than tripled in the last decade.

Assets on hand at the end of the year show that the nonprofit has maintained a healthy reserve, having grown to over $7 million.

Total expenditures on client services and other programs during the last fiscal year were reported to the IRS at $12,843,199, an increase of less than $400,000 from the previous year.

Before taking over as board president in January, Payne participated in the board committee that conducted Christen's annual performance review. He said that while the executive director saw a smaller percentage increase compared to previous years, this does not suggest that the board was unhappy with Christen's performance.

"I really feel that she's one of the best executive directors out there," Payne said, adding that the rest of the board was "unanimous" in sharing this opinion.

Citing SFAF board policy, Payne would not disclose Christen's current annual salary for the year 2000. Nor would Payne discuss whether the executive director's reported salary included bonuses.

He also refused to explain the board's relative drop in increased remuneration for Christen last year.

However, in addition to the executive director, the IRS requires that nonprofit organizations report the five next highest paid employees on their annual 990 forms. Of the top five, Lance Henderson, SFAF's deputy director for finance and administration, took home the largest salary, as he did in fiscal year 1997-98.

And in fiscal 1998-99, Henderson saw the biggest increase of the other top earners, winning a $15,869 hike in compensation over the previous year, from $125,439 to $141,308 a jump of 12.65 percent. Henderson's increase, notably, occurred during the same period as Christen got an increase of 2.3 percent. Other reported top earners, who received compensation ranging from about $108,000 to $140,000, got raises of around 4 or 5 percent.

Explaining that the executive director, rather than the board, sets compensation for staff members under her supervision, Payne referred questions concerning the financial manager's raise to Christen.

But at press time, Christen had not returned a call seeking comment on the information reported to the IRS.

Payne did, however, volunteer a possible explanation for Christen's decision to disproportionately boost Henderson's income,

"Some of that was because [Henderson] got a special bonus because of Pat's maternity leave last year," Payne said.

Christen took a four-month maternity leave in fiscal 1998-99, Henderson later confirmed, adding that in addition to a "small bonus," his compensation included a "temporary raise."

Client services director Susan Haikalis, meanwhile, was bumped off the top five earners list by Ralph Jennings, SFAF's budget and fiscal contracts manager, who took in $108,793 last year, including benefits.

Overall, the ASO's approximately 100 employees' total salaries actually decreased to $5,068,011 last year, a cut of $184,742 from a total of $5,252,753 in 1997-98.

SFAF's five highest paid independent contractors also are reported on the 990. Among them, Pallotta and Associates got the same amount for producing the 1999 California AIDS Ride as in 1998: $180,000. Miller, Zeichik and Associates, which produces the annual AIDS Walk, also got flat funded, receiving $95,000 for producing last year's event also the same amount as the previous year.

The SFAF board's next meeting that is open to the public is scheduled for Thursday, June 29. To attend, interested persons must register and obtain guidelines from the board liaison in advance at (415) 487-3053, or check out www.sfaf.org.

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