The Price of Compassion: The 10 Top Paid Animal Nonprofit CEOs

As 2025 draws to a close, The Canine Review presents an annual snapshot of executive compensation at the 10 U.S. animal nonprofits that pay their chief executives the most. The figures are drawn from each organization’s most recent publicly available IRS Form 990 filings.

The Price of Compassion

Leading by a wide margin is the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s former chief executive, Paul A. Baribault, who stepped down in March 2025. According to the organization’s most recent tax filing, Baribault received $1,993,422 in reportable compensation and an additional $63,254 in other compensation, for a total of $2,056,676 for fiscal year 2024.

His successor, Shawn Dixon, previously the organization’s chief operating officer, did not respond to multiple requests for comment regarding his compensation. Requests to the alliance’s press office also went unanswered. The same 2024 Form 990 lists Dixon’s compensation as COO at $820,184 in reportable pay and $50,685 in other compensation, totaling $870,869.

Beyond executive pay, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance reported providing first-class and/or private jet travel for executives in 2024. “A limited number of first-class tickets are booked for long-distance travel when business class is not offered,” the organization stated in its filing.

The 9 remaining highest-paid animal nonprofit CEOs

2.  National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
Jeffrey Trandahl — $1,418,915

3. World Wildlife Fund (WWF-US)
Carter Roberts — $1,290,569

4. ASPCA
Matthew E. Bershadker — $1,203,267

5. National Audobon Society Elizabeth M. Gray  – $951,881

6. Wildlife Conservation Society
Robert G. Menzi — $905,749

7. Nashville Zoo
Rick Schwartz — $775,871

8. Houston Zoo Inc.
Lee Ehmke — $711,080

9. American Humane
Robin Ganzert — $702,919

Critics and watchdog groups have long raised concerns about executive compensation at large animal charities, questioning whether such salaries align with donor expectations and nonprofit missions. Supporters counter that managing national organizations with complex operations, extensive regulatory obligations and budgets in the hundreds of millions of dollars requires competitive pay to attract experienced leadership.