Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of James Vagias, Executive Director / CEO ($60,000) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 150 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 59th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range
Benchmarked executive: James Vagias — reported title “ARTISTIC DIR”, selected as the organization's highest-paid individual — no exact title match, so confirm this is a comparable 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 NJ 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strike Anywhere Inc | NY | $362,504 | Artistic Dir. | $52,498 | $53,132 | 2024 |
| Ladies Of Hip-hop Festival | NJ | $363,054 | Executive Director | $13,700 | $14,105 | 2023 |
| Lovegood Performing Arts Company | OR | $363,379 | President | $12,160 | $13,021 | 2023 |
| Alive & Kickin | MN | $360,111 | Executive Director | $64,500 | $73,491 | 2023 |
| Thomasville Entertainment | GA | $365,778 | Executive Dir. | $35,700 | $39,168 | 2025 |
| Holy City Arts & Lyric Opera | SC | $357,749 | General Dire | $34,490 | $40,300 | 2024 |
| Amazing Things Arts Center Inc | MA | $357,744 | Executive Director | $67,234 | $67,669 | 2024 |
| Sunfest Of Palm Beach County Inc | FL | $368,350 | Executive Director | $117,990 | $120,946 | 2025 |
| Bembe Drum & Dance Inc | WI | $369,420 | Int. Exec. D | $28,323 | $33,130 | 2024 |
| Studio 1 | NC | $356,006 | Executive Dir. | $60,100 | $69,552 | 2024 |
| Shakespeare At A Nj Nonprofit Corporatio | NJ | $355,121 | Artistic Director | $18,958 | $18,958 | 2024 |
| Shine On Performing Arts | TX | $371,248 | President Of Board & Executive Artistic Director | $40,019 | $44,836 | 2024 |
| Sc New Play Festival Inc | SC | $354,165 | Executive Artistic Director | $30,000 | $34,150 | 2025 |
| Teatro Experimental Yerbabruja Inc | NY | $371,539 | Executive Director | $100,000 | $101,208 | 2024 |
| Impact Arts Inc | TX | $350,870 | Chief Operating Officer | $17,500 | $20,186 | 2023 |
| Prescott Circus Theatre | CA | $374,696 | Executive Dir. | $60,738 | $58,742 | 2024 |
| Cleveland Arts Prize | OH | $350,187 | Executive Di | $43,896 | $52,073 | 2024 |
| Little Globe Inc | NM | $348,773 | Co-director | $50,250 | $62,321 | 2023 |
| Arcadia Performing Arts Inc | PA | $348,016 | Executive Director | $39,800 | $44,454 | 2024 |
| Aloha Performing Arts Company | HI | $347,681 | Past Preside | $77,666 | $80,181 | 2023 |
| The Stars Of Tomorrow Project Inc | NY | $344,741 | Director | $69,000 | $69,834 | 2024 |
| Chelsea Music Festival Corporation | NY | $344,365 | Director | $10,000 | $10,121 | 2024 |
| Young Dance Inc | MN | $381,260 | Executive Director | $34,840 | $39,696 | 2023 |
| Newport Opera House Association | NH | $340,825 | Executive Director | $53,500 | $55,329 | 2024 |
| Blue Water Theatre Company | MN | $340,562 | Managing Director | $55,000 | $60,869 | 2024 |
Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to NJ cost of living and 2024 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 NJ 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 | 59th |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 62nd |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 59th |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 58th |
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.