The president and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum offered a tone-deaf defense of the nonprofit’s extravagant executive salaries this week, as The Post’s Page 1 expose stirred outrage that officials are exploiting the city’s greatest disaster.
“Our executive compensation lags well behind that of peer institutions,” Elizabeth Hillman said in an email sent to the foundation’s trustees on Monday, adding that “recent compensation studies have supported adjustments across the organization.”
But in the email, obtained by The Post, Hillman did not name any other institutions or cite specific compensation studies. Neither she nor the September 11 National Memorial & Museum returned queries last week.
But at least one insider confided to The Post they were disgusted by the eye-popping salaries.
“It leaves a sour taste in my mouth,” the source said. “Why are you guys making so much money off dead people?”
Last week, The Post revealed salaries at the non-profit have ballooned, even as it continues to run in the red and ignore the wishes of some families of first responders murdered on 9/11.
Hillman pocketed $856,216 in total compensation in 2024, according to IRS filings, a 63% raise in just two years.
The next four highest-paid executives made $486,298, $458,652, $444,999 and $432,958 in 2024.
Meanwhile, the museum managed to lose nearly $20 million in 2024 — which it blamed on “depreciation” — while charging a $36 adult admission fee and scoring at least $4.5 million in taxpayer funds. --->READ MORE HERE
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| National September 11 Memorial & Museum |
The 9/11 Memorial and Museum hiked executive pay to $850K amid big deficits and taxpayer aid, angering victims’ families
The nonprofit that operates the National September 11 Memorial and Museum is awarding sharply higher salaries to its top leaders while continuing to post hefty losses, leading to outrage among many victims’ families, according to the New York Post.
Created to honor the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 2001 terror attacks, the institution draws about 9,000 visitors a day, yet still struggles to balance its books. In 2020, it finished the year $47 million in the red after a six-month pandemic shutdown that forced the layoff or furlough of 60% of its workforce.
But in 2020, the museum’s board granted bonuses to its 12 highest-ranking executives, adding to frustrations over the organization’s financial priorities as budget woes persist, according to data obtained by The Post.
IRS filings show the museum lost nearly $20 million in 2024, taking in $93 million (including $4.5 million in taxpayer funds) but spending $112 million, even with tickets priced at $36, or $85 for the full tour.
Top executives’ salaries topped the list of expenses:
- Elizabeth Hillman, President & CEO – $856,216 total ($775,084 base), a 63% increase since 2022
- Joshua Cherwin, EVP & Chief Advancement Officer – $486,298 total ($410,379 base), a 78% increase since 2020
- Allison Blais, Chief Strategy & Operations Officer – $458,652 total ($388,458 base)
- Clifford Chanin, Museum Director – $444,999 total ($398,114 base), a 66% increase since 2021
- David Shehaan, CFO – $432,958 total ($392,653 base), a 294% increase since 2019
“How can you justify these salaries?” Jim McCaffrey, a retired FDNY firefighter whose brother-in-law, Battalion Chief Orio Palmer, died on 9/11, said. “It’s just another slap in the face of the families, more pain and grief to add to the heartache.” --->READ MORE HERE
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