April 2, 2021
New Hampshire Public Radio’s Board of Trustees consists of volunteer community leaders who love public media and believe it adds unique value to New Hampshire’s civic and cultural life. We are committed to the responsible stewardship of its resources and doing the absolute best we can to ensure the organization thrives and is sustainable, so it can continue its important public service mission. As the board of a member-supported nonprofit, we also seek to be transparent about decisions, and to make them in the public interest.
In that spirit, and in accordance with requirements for nonprofit organizations, NHPR posted its Fiscal Year 2020 990 tax form in January, 2021. The form, which requires nonprofits to list payments to their most highly compensated employees, disclosed payments in Calendar Year 2019 to NHPR’s former president and chief executive officer, Betsy Gardella, who retired Dec. 31, 2018, after 13 years of leadership and service.
These payments, which totaled $381,970, included $173,000 of retirement benefits accrued over her long tenure, an employer contribution to Ms. Gardella’s health insurance, and a sum equal to 10 months of base compensation. They were part of an agreement reached by the Board and Ms. Gardella in the interest of achieving an executive transition that positioned NHPR to move forward and continue to successfully deliver on its public service mission. As is customary in executive transitions, the remaining terms of Ms. Gardella’s retirement agreement were and will remain private and confidential.
The agreement with Ms. Gardella was made with the long-term financial and functional health and sustainability of the organization in mind and did not have a material effect on NHPR’s finances going forward. The Board undertakes its stewardship of the organization’s finances with utmost seriousness and is committed to good governance that is built on transparency, accountability, shared purpose and trust.
The NHPR Board of Trustees has deep appreciation and respect for the staff, members, audiences and stakeholders that make possible NHPR’s vital work of producing news, information and conversation to build stronger communities in New Hampshire and beyond.