William Murray, who got a title boost to CEO of PR Society of America at its conference Oct. 26 in Philadelphia, received a 12% boost in his pay package that brought his total to $423,647 in 2012.
His 2012 pay includes “bonus and incentive compensation” of $61,222, the only staffer to get a bonus. His 2011 package totaled $382,013. Neither Murray nor any other staffer received any bonuses in 2011, 2010 or 2009.
Included in the 2012 total is $53,660 in non-taxable benefits.
Murray and VP-PR Stephanie Cegielski have been asked what Murray did to merit the bonus.
The e-mail to Murray was answered with an automatic "out of the office" until Friday.
Cegielski said that Murray is the COO of an association with a $12M budget and there is a lot that he is responsible for. She declined further discussion of the topic.
He joined the Society in January 2007 as president and COO and received the new title of CEO at the 2013 Assembly. That title was previously held by the highest elected member. Joe Cohen will have the title of chair in 2014. Society leaders said having the titles of chair and CEO and president and COO was confusing to the members and did not reflect the reality that Murray has been acting as CEO for many years.
Murray has yet to address the New York chapter membership in open session or any New York group in open session as far as this website can determine.
The Society has a “business case for PR” initiative but no one to carry it out in public. VP-PR Arthur Yann, who died June 13, did not speak publicly in behalf of the Society and PR.
Top Six Split $1,399,936
Second highest paid at the Society is CFO Philip Bonaventura, who got a $7,968 raise to $243,765. Third highest paid is VP-corporate development John Robinson who got a $6,071 raise to $198,444. Yann had received a $4,975 increase to $191,460.
Karla Voth, VP/special events, was paid a total of $182,002, a raise of $6,540, and Jeneen Garcia, VP/PRSSA/academic affairs, had a package worth $160,618.
The six highest paid staffers received a total of $1,399,936 or an average of $233,322. The 50 (estimated) other staffers split $3,528,079 in pay/benefits or an average of $70,561.
Pay packages for 2013 will not be revealed until next November if current practices continue.
IRS Form 990 Just Under Deadline
The Society provided a printed copy of the 55-page 990 yesterday afternoon to O’Dwyer’s, just ten days before the final deadline. It was stamped “DRAFT” and had no date. The 2011 990 was filed with the IRS on Oct. 12, 2011; the 2010 form on Aug. 12, 2011, and the 2009 form on Sept. 2, 2010.
Cegielski said the 990 was provided to the Assembly on Oct. 26, the day that it met. She did not say in what form it was provided but it was no doubt electronic since the Society has told Assembly delegates they must download all documents.
Initial deadline for the form was May 15. The Society has been asked what took so long for the 990 to be filed when the audit was completed and published in May.
ProPublica, Independent Sector and many other non-profits post their 990s on their websites early in the year as recommended by IS, an organization of more than 500 non-profits, both 501/c/3s and 501c/6s.
Each page of the Society 990 is stamped “Draft” and there was no date on the filing. Cegielski said it was filed after it was presented to the Assembly. The document is 55 pages long and may have been given to the delegates in electronic form.
An electronic version will not be provided to this website or anyone, said Cegielski. Members can request a copy in writing or visit h.q. to obtain it.
The form shows occupancy costs for 2012 were $802,729 for 22,500 sq.ft. of office space or $35 a sq. ft. Previous offices in Midtown South at 33 Irving place cost about $325,000 or $22.50 per sq. ft.
 |
Total payroll costs in 2012 were $4,928,015, a decline from $5,134,342 in 2011.
Revenues exceeded expenses by $469,260.
As of Dec. 31, 2012, the Society had common stocks worth $1,389,723 and corporate bonds and preferred stock worth $1,012,160.
The fair value of the investments was $283,854 more than their cost.
D.C. Is Site of 2014 Conference
The program for the 2013 conference in Philadelphia revealed that Washington, D.C., will be the site of the 2014 conference.
Murray had announced in PR Tactics that cities for the next five conferences had been chosen but they will only be revealed one year at a time.
The conference was in D.C. in 2010.
The last conference in New York was in 2004 and before that in 1992. Since there will be no New York conferences in at least five years, that means there will be one New York conference in 25 years and counting. New York chapter leaders say there are no plans on the part of the chapter to bid for the conference.
Conference cities are chosen on the basis of what chapter makes the strongest bid in terms of financial and other support.
PRSA-NY today announced its five honorary co-chairs for its Big Apple Awards ceremony gala slated for TAO Downtown on Nov. 15.
PRSA-NY president Carmella Glover today issued a "heartfelt apology" on behalf of the chapter for her Oct. 14 message that "caused disappointment and hurt to some of our valued members."
The leadership of Public Relations Society of America is backing a move to change the current “must-have” APR accreditation to “strongly preferred” as a requirement for a seat on its board of directors.
Public Relations Society of American today named Linda Thomas Brooks CEO, succeeding CFO Phil Bonaventura, interim chief since July 2019.
Have a comment? Send it to 
No comments have been submitted for this story yet.