Executive Director / CEO
This analysis benchmarks the total compensation of Karena Birk, Executive Director / CEO ($39,654) against every comparable organization that fit the selection criteria — 118 in total — drawn systematically from IRS Form 990 filings, not a hand-picked subset.
Compensation sits at approximately the 36th percentile of comparable organizationswithin the typical range
Benchmarked executive: Karena Birk — reported title “Executive Dir.”, 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 WA 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regina Klenjoski Dance Company | CA | $402,715 | Executive Dir. | $42,000 | $40,508 | 2024 |
| Senderos | CA | $403,770 | Executive Dir. | $20,625 | $20,480 | 2023 |
| New York Dance Theatre Inc | NY | $401,286 | Executive Artistic Director | $43,333 | $43,736 | 2024 |
| Owen Cox Dance Group | MO | $400,991 | Artistic Director | $33,875 | $41,259 | 2023 |
| Cubacaribe | CA | $405,942 | Board Member | $101,115 | $97,523 | 2024 |
| Dance Camera West | CA | $399,106 | Executive Dir. | $29,507 | $29,300 | 2023 |
| Audience Architects Nfp | IL | $397,881 | Executive Dir. | $75,320 | $82,707 | 2024 |
| Barrington Youth Dance Ensemble Inc | IL | $396,900 | Executive Director | $32,655 | $36,917 | 2023 |
| Flight Path Dance Foundation Inc | NY | $396,508 | Program Director | $106,276 | $107,264 | 2024 |
| Big Dance Theater Inc | NY | $395,854 | Executive Director | $80,315 | $81,061 | 2024 |
| California Dance Institute | CA | $410,669 | Director | $44,180 | $41,512 | 2025 |
| Greensboro Ballet Inc | NC | $410,978 | Executive Director | $40,380 | $46,602 | 2024 |
| Dafmark Dance Theater | PA | $392,729 | Executive Director | $11,450 | $12,425 | 2025 |
| Hancock Center For Creative Arts | WI | $391,776 | Executive Dir. | $83,409 | $97,296 | 2024 |
| Dmf Youth Inc | NY | $417,709 | Executive Director, Member | $69,200 | $71,906 | 2023 |
| Indianapolis Dance Company Dba Gregory | IN | $418,982 | Executive Dir. | $48,111 | $56,669 | 2024 |
| Sonoma Conservatory Of Dance | CA | $387,135 | President | $114,194 | $110,137 | 2024 |
| Clancy Works Inc | MD | $419,476 | Executive Director | $55,184 | $59,327 | 2023 |
| Mutual Dance Theatre And Arts Centers | OH | $419,726 | Artistic & Executive Director | $42,000 | $49,686 | 2024 |
| Dallas Ballet Company | TX | $384,296 | Director | $12,000 | $13,407 | 2024 |
| Third Law Dancetheater | CO | $382,025 | Executive Director | $68,917 | $73,811 | 2024 |
| Turning Pointe School Of Dance | MI | $381,647 | Executive Di | $48,950 | $56,433 | 2024 |
| Invertigo Dance Theatre | CA | $380,509 | President/board Member | $89,812 | $89,180 | 2023 |
| Art Sweats Inc | NY | $379,913 | Executive Director | $40,270 | $41,844 | 2023 |
| Backhausdance | CA | $430,632 | Officer/artistic Director | $25,425 | $25,246 | 2023 |
Comp (reported) is the figure on each organization's Form 990 (columns D + F); Comp (adjusted) normalizes it to WA 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 WA 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 | 36th |
| Total compensation (D + F), as reported (no adjustments) | 37th |
| Reportable pay only (column D), adjusted | 36th |
| All sources (D + E + F), adjusted | 36th |
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.