Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of J Charles Garrison, Executive Director / CEO ($145,944) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 243 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 96th percentile of comparable organizationsabove the 90th percentile — board review recommended
Benchmarked executive: J Charles Garrison — 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 VA 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Mesa Chamber Of Commerce Inc | CA | $157,627 | President | $90,000 | $76,164 | 2025 |
| Polish American Chamber Of Commerce | IL | $157,457 | Executive Director | $47,809 | $47,282 | 2024 |
| Hawaii Association Of Broadcasters | HI | $157,349 | Exec Directo | $57,599 | $51,876 | 2024 |
| Wadena Chamber Of Commerce | MN | $157,268 | Executive Dir. | $73,850 | $73,408 | 2024 |
| International Association Of Venue | TX | $157,024 | President & Ceo | $28,854 | $29,035 | 2024 |
| Southeastern Ohio Education Association | OH | $156,982 | Executive Director | $15,625 | $16,648 | 2024 |
| Toledo Bar Association Foundation | OH | $159,344 | Executive Director | $19,180 | $21,039 | 2023 |
| Seattle Latino Metropolitan Chamber Of Commerce | WA | $159,386 | President | $72,606 | $67,324 | 2023 |
| Lewisville Clemmons Chamber Of Commerce Inc | NC | $159,746 | Executive Director | $60,895 | $63,297 | 2024 |
| Metals Affordability Initiative | IN | $156,000 | Sec/treas/di | $10,200 | $11,140 | 2023 |
| Conferencia Latino Americana De Companias Express Inc | FL | $159,996 | Exacutive Director | $124,992 | $121,611 | 2023 |
| Lower Rio Grande Valley Chapter Of | TX | $160,611 | Executive Di | $65,114 | $67,459 | 2023 |
| The Colony Chamber Of Commerce Inc | TX | $160,967 | Executive Director | $26,890 | $27,059 | 2024 |
| Ellinger Chamber Of Commerce | TX | $161,046 | Director | $3,600 | $3,623 | 2024 |
| Springfield Realtors | OR | $154,310 | Association Executive | $39,252 | $37,752 | 2023 |
| Chamber Of Commerce Of Kearney | MO | $153,676 | Executive Director | $51,200 | $56,164 | 2023 |
| Mill Creek Chamber Of Commerce | WA | $153,520 | Treasurer | $4,860 | $4,378 | 2024 |
| Greater East Dallas Chamber Of Commerce | TX | $162,675 | Executive Staff | $39,900 | $41,337 | 2023 |
| Texas Alternative Investments Association Inc | TX | $163,149 | Secretary | $10,661 | $10,728 | 2024 |
| Bensalem Economic Development | PA | $152,640 | Board Of Director | $78,766 | $79,017 | 2024 |
| Ofs Holdings Inc | WI | $164,415 | Executive Director (Thru 04/24) | $22,790 | $23,943 | 2024 |
| Clarinda Economic Development Corp | IA | $151,058 | Executive Director | $80,504 | $86,388 | 2025 |
| Grand Rapids New Car Dealers Association | MI | $150,255 | Management | $27,500 | $28,554 | 2024 |
| Louisa County Chamber Of Commerce | VA | $165,743 | Executive Director | $53,003 | $53,003 | 2023 |
| Mechanical Contractors Association Of | IA | $149,982 | Executive Director | $99,418 | $112,741 | 2023 |
Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to VA 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 VA 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 | 96th |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 96th |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 96th |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 93rd |
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.