Executive Compensation at the American Institute of Architects

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional trade organization – a 501 (c) 6 – headquartered in Washington, DC.  A tax-exempt, non-profit organization, the AIA represents the architectural profession, although surprisingly, membership dues represent only about 25% of revenue.

The AIA has two related non-profits (AIA Foundation – a 501 (c) 3; and ARCHIPAC – The American Institute of Architects, a 527 Political Action Committee).

15 independent voting members (directors) comprise the governing body although 20 directors are listed on the most recent Form 990 (2019) due to timing differences, 11 of whom are female while 9 are male.

Historically (over the past 10 years) the AIA has raised $60-$80 million annually.  In 2019, total revenue was $80 million (compared to $79 million in 2018), most of which came from publications and retail sales ($25 million), membership dues ($20 million), conferences and meetings ($11 million), professional development ($10 million), and member services ($7 million).

Expenses totaled $77 million (including $5 million in depreciation) with the largest expenses reported to be compensation ($32 million), travel and conferences ($12 million), office-related expenses ($11 million), advertising and promotion ($5 million), fees for services ($5 million), and payments to affiliates ($5 million).

252 employees received $32 million in compensation, which equates to an average compensation of nearly $130,000. However, only 92 employees received more than $100,000 in compensation with the sixteen (16) most highly compensated reported to be:

• $851,803:  Robert Ivy, EVP, CEO
• $480,415:  Abigail Gorman, Chief of Staff
• $370,848:  Susan McDaid, SVP, Member and Component Service
• $369,209:  Kathy Compton, SVP, Brand and Engagement
• $363,746:  Jay Stephens, SVP and General Counsel
• $330,257:  Terri Stewart, SVP, Knowledge and Practice
• $317,060:  Jeffrey Raymond, VP, Product Strategy
• $314,540:  Lisa Green, VP, Finance and Administration
• $305,027:  Robert Middlebrooks, SVP, Contract Business Solutions
• $296,751:  Young Chang, Contract Documents Technology
• $294,423:  Sarah Dodge, SVP, Advocacy and Relations
• $291,729:  Larry Robertson, VP, HR and Technology Services
• $281,950:  Kenneth Cobleigh, Counsel, Contract Documents
• $264,895:  Luke Diorio, New Business and Product Development
• $227,540:  John Crosby, Corporate Partnerships
• $221,994:  Cedric Rush, Membership Strategy and Services

The 16 most highly compensated employees received nearly $6 million in compensation.  9 of the 16 most highly compensated employees are male while 7 of the 16 are female (note:  Gender is not reported on the Form 990; determinations were made based on name and google searches).

The AIA paid for first class or charter travel and travel for companions, and severance. For details on these expenses, see the Form 990, Schedule J, Part III, Supplemental Information.

49 independent contractors received more than $100,000 in compensation with the five most highly compensated reported to be:

• $1,725,030:  Informa Exhibitions US Construction RE, of Irving, TX for conference event manager
• $1,048,175:  Valuelabs, of Chicago, IL for IT staffibng
• $  943,000:  The Purpose Institute, of Austin, TX for advertising/marketing consultant
• $  791,619:  Conde Nast, of New York, NY for advertising
• $  679,313:  HBP Inc, of Hagerstown, MD for printing and fulfillment

To read the IRS Form 990 (2019), click here.