Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Paula Severson, Executive Director / CEO ($15,231) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 322 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 16th percentile of comparable organizationsbelow the typical range for comparable organizations
Benchmarked executive: Paula Severson — reported title “EXECUTIVE DI”, 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 WI 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rogersville-hawkins Co Chamber Of Commerce Inc | TN | $177,576 | Exec Dirctor | $76,223 | $74,516 | 2024 |
| Window Coverings Association Of Ame | NC | $177,588 | Ed | $86,120 | $85,205 | 2023 |
| International Federation Of Dental Hygienists | MD | $177,618 | President | $13,900 | $12,443 | 2023 |
| Georgia Craft Brewers Guild Inc | GA | $177,836 | Executive Di | $78,600 | $73,503 | 2024 |
| Bell Buckle Chamber Of Commerce | TN | $178,004 | President | $6,000 | $5,715 | 2025 |
| Nodaway County Economic Development Corp | MO | $176,631 | Executive Director | $100,011 | $101,427 | 2023 |
| National Black Professional Lobbyist Association | AL | $178,875 | Executive Director | $32,500 | $33,619 | 2023 |
| Utah Petroleum Marketers | UT | $178,928 | State Execut | $69,000 | $65,680 | 2024 |
| Alexandria Bay Chamber Of Commerce Inc | NY | $175,230 | Executive Director | $57,100 | $47,988 | 2024 |
| Greene County Economic Development Corp | IN | $179,871 | Executive Director | $71,087 | $69,722 | 2024 |
| Prescott Downtown Partnership Inc | AZ | $174,908 | Executive Dir. | $45,175 | $40,407 | 2024 |
| Small Business Council Of America Inc | GA | $173,977 | Secretary | $9,000 | $8,665 | 2023 |
| Delaware Food Industry Council | DE | $173,788 | Executive Director | $158,583 | $144,416 | 2024 |
| St Bernard Chamber Of Commerce | LA | $181,286 | Ceo | $60,833 | $62,300 | 2024 |
| Mountain Laurel Chamber Of Commerce | PA | $182,329 | Executive Director | $34,798 | $32,275 | 2024 |
| Texas Business Roundtable | TX | $182,354 | Exec Director | $66,000 | $63,216 | 2023 |
| The Hundred Year Association Of Ny Inc | CT | $182,749 | President | $35,250 | $30,739 | 2024 |
| Adult Day Health Care Council Inc | NY | $183,162 | Executive Director | $7,024 | $5,903 | 2024 |
| Acec-ri American Council Of | RI | $183,283 | Executive Di | $75,000 | $68,861 | 2023 |
| Home Builders Association Of Hickory-catawba Valley Inc | NC | $183,432 | Executive Officer | $56,782 | $56,179 | 2023 |
| West Plains Chamber Of Commerce | WA | $171,397 | Executive Director | $71,610 | $59,629 | 2024 |
| Butler County Medical Society | OH | $183,653 | Exec Assistant | $15,000 | $14,776 | 2024 |
| Medical Toxicology Foundation | AZ | $185,030 | Executive Director/board M | $39,714 | $35,523 | 2024 |
| Mosinee Area Chamber Of Commerce Inc | WI | $169,850 | Executive Director | $61,787 | $61,787 | 2023 |
| Colorado Civil Justice League | CO | $185,106 | Executive Director | $77,000 | $70,697 | 2023 |
Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to WI cost of living and 2023 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 WI 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 | 16th |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 15th |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 19th |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 14th |
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 10, 2026.