Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Barbara Messick, Executive Director / CEO ($100,121) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 69 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 88th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range
Benchmarked executive: Barbara Messick — 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 DE 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pals For Healing | OH | $256,948 | Executive Di | $38,500 | $40,450 | 2024 |
| Crossroads Inc | OK | $257,621 | Executive Dir. | $65,000 | $71,000 | 2024 |
| Healing Arts Project Inc | TN | $257,976 | Executive Director | $48,780 | $50,864 | 2024 |
| Tina Huseth Counseling | TX | $260,979 | President | $47,100 | $46,737 | 2024 |
| The Speedy Foundation Inc | ID | $250,333 | Executive Director | $77,000 | $81,255 | 2024 |
| Recovery-hub Inc | NJ | $261,461 | President & Ceo | $90,000 | $82,066 | 2023 |
| Strong Partners In Health | OR | $250,000 | Managing Director | $22,888 | $21,708 | 2023 |
| Our Daily Gnome Creative Arts Center Of Chesapeake | VA | $249,365 | President | $2,714 | $2,676 | 2023 |
| Merakey Youth Services | PA | $249,352 | President/ceo | $55,952 | $56,985 | 2023 |
| Gabby's Ladder Inc | MI | $262,607 | Executive Di | $53,550 | $56,449 | 2023 |
| Crested Butte State Of Mind | CO | $247,597 | Executive Director | $63,135 | $61,827 | 2023 |
| Valley Community Counseling Clinic | CA | $264,041 | Pres And Exec D | $31,459 | $26,947 | 2024 |
| Nami Of Richland County Ohio | OH | $264,447 | Executive Dir. | $65,230 | $66,768 | 2025 |
| Dreavita Counseling Coaching And Consulting Inc | DE | $245,854 | Founder | $157,570 | $153,049 | 2024 |
| Linden Lodge Foundation | NC | $266,266 | Executive Di | $28,445 | $30,017 | 2023 |
| Equiteam Support Services | PA | $269,287 | Executive Director | $121,541 | $120,233 | 2024 |
| Penquis Mental Health Association | ME | $270,417 | Chief Executive Officer | $34,929 | $34,696 | 2024 |
| Mental Health Programs Inc V | MA | $240,219 | President | $12,032 | $10,449 | 2025 |
| The Samaritan Counseling Center Of | GA | $238,356 | Executive Di | $90,025 | $89,793 | 2024 |
| Community Improvement Associates | NH | $235,476 | Employee Representative | $33,500 | $30,685 | 2024 |
| Teton Valley Mental Health | ID | $233,570 | Executive Di | $72,659 | $76,674 | 2024 |
| Azimuth Counseling And Therapeutic Services Inc | VT | $230,623 | Executive Director | $12,500 | $12,159 | 2025 |
| New Mexico Association For Infant Mental Health | NM | $281,850 | Executive Director | $31,720 | $33,843 | 2024 |
| Papillion Center Inc | KY | $282,268 | Executive Director | $88,463 | $94,280 | 2024 |
| The Mental And Emotional Resource Center | TN | $283,071 | Executive Dir | $29,423 | $31,586 | 2023 |
Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to DE 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 DE 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 | 88th |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 87th |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 88th |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 81st |
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.