President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 earned about $1.95 million in total compensation in 2024, according to the University’s fiscal year 2025 nonprofit tax filings. This marks an approximately 39% decrease from her compensation of over $3.1 million in 2023.
This decrease is explained by the fact that Paxson earned no bonus or incentive compensation in 2024 after earning $1.2 million in bonus or incentive compensation the prior year. Paxson’s base compensation remained steady for both years.
When allowed by budget and performance considerations, senior administrators “whose performance far exceeds expectations” may have the ability to earn bonuses “based on major leadership contributions, substantial success in reaching pre-determined goals or in concert with pre-determined annual incentive programs,” University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in an email to The Herald.
Clark did not provide specific reasoning behind Paxson’s 2023 bonus, writing that the University does not “disclose compensation details publicly for any Brown employee” outside of completing the annual IRS Form 990. But he added that it’s “not at all unusual that an employee may have bonus compensation in a particular year but not in others.”
Paxson’s total compensation in 2024 falls in line with her salaries in 2021 and 2022 of around $2 million and $1.8 million, respectively. Her 2024 salary was nearly five times greater than it was at the start of her tenure in 2012.
Paxson was the third-highest paid Ivy League president during 2024, earning less than Dartmouth President Sian Beilock, who earned over $2.1 million, and former Penn President Liz Magill who earned nearly $4.5 million in the same period.
Jane Dietze, Brown’s vice president and chief investment officer, earned over $4 million, making her the only senior administrator at the University who earned more than Paxson. Dietze’s earnings increased 25% from her total compensation in 2023.
Other top-earning Brown administrators include Deputy Chief Investment Officer Joshua Kennedy ’97, Vice President for Athletics and Recreation M. Grace Calhoun ’92 P’26 P’26 and Investment Office Managing Director Peter Levine ’95 who earned around $1.65 million, $1.56 million and $1.55 million respectively.
According to Clark, the Brown Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — has “the authority to establish and adjust compensation, perquisites and benefits for senior administrators.”
The Corporation’s Committee on Senior Administration ensures that compensation is derived from market data and industry standards, “enables Brown to attract, reward and retain effective leaders” and “aligns with the resources of the University,” Clark wrote in an email to The Herald.
“The committee reviews and sets compensation annually, considering data from surveys reflecting industry standards for senior administrators, Brown’s financial position and the responsibilities and performance of the individual leader,” he added.
According to Clark, cash compensation for senior administrators is typically “targeted to the 25th to 75th percentile of the market on an overall basis.” The committee also reviews any benefits or perquisites, such as delayed compensation plans or travel cost, in order to “determine the reasonableness of total compensation and its connection with the officer’s position,” he added.
Clark wrote that total compensation differences from year-to-year are largely accounted for by deferred compensation. Deferred compensation funds are allocated by the University annually to be paid out on set dates in future years.
“In some years, when a senior administrator with a deferred compensation arrangement receives a payout, the total compensation may be much higher,” Clark explained. “In other years, when there is no payout, there may therefore be a decrease in total compensation compared to prior years.”
Paxson earned $384,500 in “retirement and other deferred compensation” in 2024, which is in line with her previous year’s deferred compensation earnings of $382,500.
Roma Shah is a section editor covering University Hall & Higher Education and Admissions & Financial Aid. She's a sophomore from Morgan Hill, CA studying neuroscience. In her free time, she can be found doing puzzles, hiking or curled up with a book.
