USOC paid current CEO, 2 former CEOs in 2010

The chief executive officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee netted a base salary last year of $425,995, while his predecessor was paid $135,385 in 2010 for the final chapter of her tumultuous stint and the person who came before her got a $116,252 severance package, according to tax filings released Monday by the Colorado Springs-based organization.

Total compensation of Scott Blackmun ($638,407) in the first year of a four-year contract dropped 37 percent compared to the $1,006,336 collected in 2009 by Stephanie Streeter, who was succeeded by Blackmun in January 2010. Streeter will go off the USOC’s books next year, when her severance is publicized, and Jim Scherr is off now that he has cashed his severance, two years after the USOC board forced him into a hasty resignation.

Total salaries of perhaps the USOC’s five key employees (Blackmun, former chief operating officer Norman Bellingham, marketing chief Lisa Baird, financial chief Walter Glover and general counsel Rana Dershowitz) equaled $1.6 million, a decrease of 23 percent from 2009, and their total compensation of $2.3 million was down 42 percent.

In addition to Scherr, the USOC gave former human resources chief John McWilliams a $175,000 severance payment, and former international relations chief Robert Fasulo got a $94,739 severance check. Fasulo landed $182,635 in salary from the USOC, with a total compensation of $447,537, and McWilliams had $109,880 in salary, along with $411,073 in total compensation, which included a housing allowance also rendered to Streeter.

Total revenue for the USOC was $250.6 million, and total expenses were $191.5 million, as the USOC’s net assets increased from $119.2 million to $179.1 million, mainly from a boost via the 2010 Vancouver Games. The USOC got $105.1 million in broadcast rights and $71.8 million in royalties, and high-dollar contributors included the city of Colorado Springs at $19.7 million, the U.S. Olympic Foundation at $8.9 million, the Department of Defense at $4.6 million and the Department of Veterans Affairs at $3.6 million.

The USOC spent $69.3 million on athletes and national governing bodies; $22.8 million on the Olympic Training Center and athletic complexes in Chula Vista, Calif., and Lake Placid, N.Y.; and $17.8 million on international events. It paid $9.9 million to three direct mail firms, $2.7 million to a hospitality company and $1.1 million to a catering company. Its endowment rose from $16.7 million to $31.5 million, with $14.9 million in offerings.

Among other USOC expenses were $37.7 million on salaries and benefits; $16.3 million on Paralympic programs; $3.5 million on anti-doping efforts; $3.3 million on broadcast properties; $2.6 million on communications; $2.3 million on international relations; $2 million on sports medicine; and $1.2 million on sports science and technology.

The USOC also reported $14.6 million on travel; $7 million on occupancy; $6.8 million on postage; $3.9 million on events; $2.9 million on maintenance; $1.9 million on payroll taxes; $1.7 million on public information; $1.3 million on promotions; $1.2 million on meetings; $1.1 million on office costs; $916,468 on legal; and $242,453 on accounting.

For more Olympic coverage, visit www.gazette.com/olympics. Check out our Olympics blog at http://gazetteolympics.freedomblogging.com