Wages may have stagnated for many workers nationwide, but earnings continue to climb for top Duke personnel.
According to 990 tax forms from 2022, seven out of Duke’s top 24 highest-paid employees saw percent increases of 30% or more in total compensation, with five experiencing at least a 50% increase.
A total of 14 Duke employees earned more than $1 million, with five earning more than $2 million. Former Duke men’s basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who is a current ambassador to the University, topped the list at $7.4 million.
Non-athletics administrators
Neal Triplett, president and CEO of Duke University Management Company Inc., was Duke’s highest-paid non-athletics employee, a position he has maintained since 2014. He earned more than $2.9 million in 2021, 72% of which was listed as bonus and incentive compensation.
However, Triplett’s earnings decreased by 14% compared to the previous year. In contrast, A. Eugene Washington, former chancellor for health affairs at Duke Health, experienced a 33% increase in total compensation. He earned $2.7 million in 2021, 46% of which was from bonuses.
President Vincent Price saw a 31% increase in total compensation. Price earned just over $2 million in 2021. His base compensation for 2021 of $1.5 million matched his total compensation in 2020 and is the highest base compensation out of all non-athletics employees.
Out of all personnel listed, Executive Vice President Daniel Ennis experienced the highest percent increase in earnings. His total compensation grew 81% from over $825,000 in 2020 to just under $1.5 million in 2021.
Ennis’s predecessor, Tallman Trask, also had a total compensation increase of 61% in 2021, after retiring in 2020. Over 90% of his compensation of $1.6 million was listed as bonus and incentive compensation on the tax form.
Other notable increases also include Mary Klotman, executive vice president for health affairs and dean of School of Medicine. Her compensation increased by 61%, rising from just under $778,000 to over $1.2 million.
Apart from Triplett, the only non-athletics personnel to experience a percent decrease in total compensation were both listed as former employees in the tax form.
Richard Riddell, former senior vice president and secretary to the Board of Trustees, experienced a 29% decrease in total compensation. Meanwhile, Nancy Andrews, former dean of the School of Medicine and current adjunct professor in the pharmacology and cancer biology department, had a compensation decrease of 1%.
Athletic administrators
Duke athletics personnel listed on the tax forms largely did not experience an compensation increase, in contrast with non-athletic employees.
Krzyzewski, despite being the highest paid, saw the largest percent decrease in compensation out of both athletics and non-athletics personnel on the list. His compensation decreased by around 46% from 2021 to 2022, from just over $13.6 million to $7.4 million.
Former Duke football head coach David Cutcliffe, was the second highest-paid out of all Duke personnel in 2021, earning just under $3.6 million. His compensation increased by just under 3%. Cutcliffe agreed to a separation with the program in November of 2021 after 14 seasons.
Former athletics director Kevin White, earned $1.4 million in 2021, with his total compensation decreasing by around 3% compared to the 2021 fiscal year.
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Alice Qin is a Trinity senior and opinion editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.