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August 18, 2025

20 Employees at the University of Southern California (USC) Take Home $208 Million in Compensation

by Anne Paddock

20 of the most highly compensated employees in 2023 at the University of Southern California (USC) –  a privately funded research university (not publicly funded like many state universities ) with about 47,000 students (21,000 undergrads and 26,000 graduate and professional students) where annual tuition, room and board is about $100,000 or about $400,000 for a 4-year degree – received $208 million from 2017-2023 (note:  this list does not include any high compensated employees in any of the years 2017-2022 bu not in 2023):

Lincoln Riley:  Total Compensation 2023:  $20 million

  • 2023:  $19,659,862

Carol L Folt:  Total Compensation 2020-2023:  $12 million

  • 2023:  $4,628,109
  • 2022: $3,895,165
  • 2021:  $2,376,361
  • 2020:  $1,314,129

Alexander Grinch:  Total Compensation 2023:  $4 million

  • 2023:  $4,344,289

Andy Endfield:  Total Compensation 2018-2023:  $21 million

  • 2023:  $4,204,107
  • 2022: $3,806,389
  • 2021:  $3,511,285
  • 2020:  $3,354,315
  • 2019:  $3,126,772
  • 2018:  $2,789,148

Charles Helton:  Total Compensation 2017-2023:  $29 million

  • 2023:  $3,987,310
  • 2022: $4,686,865
  • 2021:  $4,789,082
  • 2020:  $4,813,832
  • 2019:  $4,569,507
  • 2018:  $3,218,935
  • 2017:  $2,625,965

Vaughn Starnes:  Total Compensation 2017-2023:  $22 million

  • 2023:  $3,801,525
  • 2022: $3,436,981
  • 2021:  $3,047,634
  • 2020:  $3,156,691
  • 2019:  $2,951,076
  • 2018:  $2,832,168
  • 2017:  $2,896,328

Louis A Vandermolen:  Total Compensation 2017-2023:  $19 million

  • 2023:  $3,749,856
  • 2022: $3,048,591
  • 2021:  $2,677,939
  • 2020:  $2,714,873
  • 2019:  $2,351,253
  • 2018:  $2,214,130
  • 2017:  $2,471,856

Steven D Shapiro:  Total Compensation 2022-2023:  $5 million

  • 2023:  $3,430,161
  • 2022: $1,881,400

Chrysostomos L Nikias:  Total Compensation 2017-2023:  $24 million

  • 2023:  $3,101,492
  • 2022: $1,301,870
  • 2021:  $1,654,049
  • 2020:  $5,276,566
  • 2019:  $7,654,938
  • 2018:  $2,963,958
  • 2017:  $2,408,747

Charles Zukoski:  Total Compensation 2020-2023:  $5 million

  • 2023:  $2,199,544
  • 2022:  $1,165,409
  • 2021:  $1,176,696
  • 2020:  $  227,255

Rod Hanners:  Total Compensation 2021-2023:  $5 million

  • 2023:  $2,064,680
  • 2022: $1,661,243
  • 2021:  $1,410,593

James Staten:  Total Compensation 2017-2023:  $14 million

  • 2023:  $1,995,159
  • 2022: $2,517,247
  • 2021:  $2,092,229
  • 2020:  $2,130,233
  • 2019:  $1,939,239
  • 2018:  $1,957,637
  • 2017:  $1,578,803

Amy Diamond:  Total Compensation 2022-2023:  $4 million

  • 2023:  $1,829,822
  • 2022: $2,099,985

Felicia Washington:  Total Compensation 2020-2023:  $4 million

  • 2023:  $1,521,387
  • 2022: $1,231,832
  • 2021:  $1,149,350
  • 2020:  $  356,253

Beong-S00 Kim:  Total Compensation 2021-2023:  $3 million

  • 2023:  $1,413,546
  • 2022: $1,214,028
  • 2021:  $  469,002

Carolyn Meltzer:  Total Compensation 2023:  $1 million

  • 2023:  $1,315,907

Geoffrey Garrett:  Total Compensation 2021-2023:  $3 million

  • 2023:  $1,233,888
  • 2022: $1,241,563
  • 2021:  $  659,658

Laura Mosqueda:  Total Compensation 2018-2023:  $6 million

  • 2023:  $1,105,272
  • 2022:  $1,088,299
  • 2021:  $1,092,223
  • 2020:  $1,073,218
  • 2019:  $1,063,278
  • 2018:  $  564,660

Tracey Vranich:  Total Compensation  2020-2023:  $3 million

  • 2023:  $930,738
  • 2022:  $784,336
  • 2021:  $753,544
  • 2020:  $646,175

David Wright:  Total Compensation 2019-2023:  $4 million

  • 2023:  $868,231
  • 2022:  $721,645
  • 2021:  $758,301
  • 2020:  $726,566
  • 2019:  $503,278

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