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Pepperdine’s 2020 Top 10 Earners Revealed in Tax Forms

July 19, 2021 by Ashley Mowreader

Pepperdine released its 2020 Internal Revenue Service 990 Form, highlighting the University’s top earners, with President Emeritus Andrew K. Benton at the top.

While some names remained relatively unchanged in earnings, President Jim Gash’s cabinet shuffled the standings, but — similar to 2018 — no women made the top 10.

Photo credit: Ali Levens

Pepperdine’s top three earners for the 2020 tax year are President Emeritus Andrew K. Benton, Head Basketball Coach Lorenzo Romar and Jeff Pippin, senior vice president and chief investment officer. In both 2018 and 2020 tax forms, none of Pepperdine’s women administrators ranked in the top earners. Infographic by Ali Levens

A notable change from 2018 is Head Basketball Coach Lorenzo Romar’s increase in total compensation from $660,769 to $793,594, making him the second-highest earner at the University.

Gash — who began his term as president Aug. 1, 2019 — has a starting salary of $202,450 a year and a total compensation of $525,024 for the 2020 tax year. Benton had a base compensation of $484,397 with added bonuses and other reportable and deferred compensation plus nontaxable benefits totaling $1.3 million dollars in compensation for 2020, according to the forms.

In 2003, Chancellor Charles B. Runnels was the highest-paid administrator, according to past Graphic reporting, earning a salary of $304,946 with added benefits of $28,300. Current Chancellor Sara Young Jackson ranked 25th in the University’s top earners, earning $235,337 a year with $36,848 of other compensation. Young Jackson is in her second year as chancellor.

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Follow the Graphic on Twitter: @PeppGraphic

Contact Ashley Mowreader via Twitter (@amowreader) or by email: ashley.mowreader@pepperdine.edu

Filed Under: News Tagged With: 2020, administration, ali levens, Andrew Benton, Andrew K Benton, Ashley Mowreader, compensation, Jeff Pippin, Jim Gash., Lorenzo Romar, pepperdine, Pepperdine Graphic Media, salary, Sara Jackson, tax forms

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