Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Margaret Emery, Executive Director / CEO ($96,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 151 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 97th percentile of comparable organizationsabove the 90th percentile — board review recommended
Benchmarked executive: Margaret Emery — reported title “EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR”, a direct title match to the Executive Director / CEO role.
Each figure is Form 990 Part VII columns D + F (reportable pay plus other compensation and benefits; column F may include amounts from related organizations), normalized to MN cost of living (BEA RPP, 2023) and to its filing year (CPI-U); the reported amount is on each linked 990.
| Organization | State | Revenue | Matched title | Comp (reported) | Comp (adjusted) | FY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reno Dance Company | NV | $311,005 | Executive Director | $15,000 | $15,619 | 2024 |
| Youth Dance Ensemble And School | MN | $306,706 | Executive Director | $60,468 | $60,468 | 2025 |
| Ghostlight Productions Inc | MI | $306,295 | General Manager & Artistic Director | $39,250 | $42,084 | 2024 |
| Performing Arts Academy Of New | TX | $313,628 | Chairman | $29,996 | $31,170 | 2024 |
| Yes And Collaborative Arts | PA | $314,678 | Executive Director | $32,490 | $33,658 | 2024 |
| Atlanta Dance Theatre Inc | GA | $315,215 | Artistic Dir | $65,078 | $67,974 | 2024 |
| Ankeny Friends Of The Arts | IA | $304,062 | Executive Director | $47,885 | $56,075 | 2023 |
| Arts For Kids Inc | NJ | $316,270 | Executive Director | $57,868 | $52,288 | 2025 |
| Christ In The Arts Of West Texas Inc | TX | $302,809 | President | $26,300 | $26,625 | 2025 |
| Katharsis Media | NM | $302,669 | Executive Director | $71,027 | $79,358 | 2024 |
| Brownbody | MN | $302,426 | Executive Director | $63,550 | $67,158 | 2023 |
| Sandglass Center For Puppetry & Theater Research Ltd | VT | $318,179 | Board Member And Artistic Director | $37,556 | $40,428 | 2023 |
| Mishpachah Inc | OH | $321,109 | Director | $60,911 | $68,997 | 2023 |
| Bower Center For The Arts | VA | $321,721 | Executive Director | $63,750 | $63,942 | 2024 |
| Childrens Legacy Theatre Inc | DC | $322,058 | Executive Director | $51,970 | $47,375 | 2024 |
| Rawdance | CA | $296,383 | Director | $3,802 | $3,411 | 2024 |
| Teada Productions | CA | $323,308 | President & | $60,000 | $52,433 | 2025 |
| Danielandsomesuperfriends Inc | NY | $296,045 | Ceo, Artistic Director | $69,823 | $63,853 | 2025 |
| Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre | MT | $324,315 | Associate Dir. | $30,000 | $33,593 | 2024 |
| Baltimore Improv Group | MD | $293,707 | Managing Director | $50,000 | $49,994 | 2023 |
| Contemporary Youth Orchestra | OH | $293,497 | Executive Di | $72,892 | $82,569 | 2023 |
| Death Of Classical Inc | NY | $293,171 | Artistic Director | $28,855 | $27,086 | 2024 |
| Unison Learning Center Inc | NY | $326,868 | Executive Director | $63,000 | $60,885 | 2023 |
| Odyssey Opera Of Boston Inc | MA | $327,762 | Executive Director | $106,167 | $102,033 | 2023 |
| Sino Us Performing Arts Organization | CA | $327,781 | Secretary | $62,699 | $57,903 | 2023 |
Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to MN cost of living and 2025 dollars. Click any organization to verify the figure on ProPublica.
Comparable organizations were drawn from electronically filed IRS Form 990 returns and matched on sector (NTEE code), budget (a size-adaptive revenue band that tightens as the organization grows), and geography (same-state first, broadening only when too few peers qualify); every organization within the band forms the peer set. To compare fairly across regions and years, peer compensation is normalized to MN cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2023) and to the subject's filing year (CPI-U). The figure benchmarked is Form 990 Part VII, Section A, columns D + F — reportable pay plus other compensation, benefits, and deferred amounts (column F may include amounts from related organizations) — with the chief executive matched by role. Related-organization amounts (column E) and institutional trustees are excluded. Full methodology: peerbasis.org/methodology.
Sensitivity — the subject's percentile under alternative compensation definitions:
| Basis | Subject percentile |
|---|---|
| Total compensation (D + F), cost-of-living + inflation adjusted — the PeerBasis default | 97th |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 96th |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 97th |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 96th |
If the percentile moves materially across these definitions, the result is sensitive to methodology choices, and the board should weigh which basis best fits its facts.
Compensation paid by a tax-exempt organization is presumed reasonable — shifting the burden to the IRS — when three requirements are met. This report supplies the comparability data for the second. The board should record the following in its minutes concurrently with its decision:
Draft board minutes — executive compensation
Sources: IRS Form 990 e-file data (apps.irs.gov); IRS Business Master File (NTEE classification). Every figure traces to an original public filing — click any organization above to verify it on ProPublica. PeerBasis is a service of Prismind Analytics; its methodology is published, was commissioned for independent adversarial review, and discloses its own limitations. This report is comparability data to support a board's good-faith determination under IRC 4958; it is not legal or tax advice. Generated by PeerBasis on June 9, 2026.