Mount Wachusett spent $32.6 million on payroll in 2023 - who are the top earners?
Mount Wachusett Community College President James Vander Hooven, is the highest earner on the college's 2023 payroll, making $218,969 a year. Seven full-time professors are among the college administrators in the list of the top 15 highest earners.
For the 2023 calendar year, Mount Wachusett Community College spent $32,645,879 on payroll. The college has a total of 869 employees on payroll, and 357 employees are full-time.
Former Vice President of Enrollment and Public Affairs, LeaAnn Scales, is the second highest earner in 2023 with a total salary of $205,733. Scales, who left before the 2023-2024 MWCC academic school year started, received a buyout payment of $50,229 and also collected $35,780 in "other pay" in addition to her base salary of $119,724.
According to the Commonwealth's payroll website, "other pay" includes but may not be limited to stipends, bonus pay, awards, summer salary compensation, professional development, shift differential pay, stand by pay, and supplemental salaries.
Top earning faculty
After Scales, the college's third-highest earner is Vice President of Finance and Administration Sandra Quaye, who earned $192,183, all in her base salary. Following Quaye is the highest paid professor, Eric Almeida, with a base salary of $160,527. Almeida, who teaches in the Automotive department, received an additional $2,477 in other pay.
The fifth-highest earner on the payroll is the second highest-paid professor, Heather Conn a biology professor, with a base salary of $157,073. Conn received an additional $2,115 in other pay. Following Conn is John Eisler, MWCC Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs, with a salary of $155,824.
Nursing professor Meghan Picone is the seventh highest-paid employee and the third highest-paid professor with a base salary of $145,746 and an additional $2,594 in other pay. Next is Adam Duggan, MWCC Vice President for Lifelong Learning & Workforce Development, with a salary of $147,676.
The fourth highest-paid professor is also the ninth-highest earner; Biology professor Carrie Arnold, who had a base salary of $145,203. Arnold received $1,000 in other pay, making her total 2023 salary $146,203. Following Arnold is Petter Sennett, Vice President of Human Resources, who earned $145,436.
Four college administrators share the eleventh-highest earner spot. Daniel Horlander, MWCC Executive Director, Associate Vice President, Marcia Rosbury-Henne, Vice President Jason Zelesky, and Chief Diversity Executive Stephanie Williams, with a salary of $142,584.
Out of the top 15 highest earners of the 2023 payroll, 10 are female employees. The top 63 highest-paid employees all make six-figure salaries. For a complete list of all employees' salaries, please see our related story.
Employee | Job Title | Base Salary | Buyout | Other Pay | Total |
James Vander Hooven | President | $218,969.20 | $- | $- | $218,969.20 |
LeaAnn Scales | Vice President/ Enroll&Publ Affairs | $119,724.60 | $- | $- | $205,733.60 |
Sandra Quaye | VP/Finance & Administration | $192,183.70 | $- | $- | $192,183.70 |
Eric Almeida | Professor/Automotive | $160,527.50 | $- | $2,477.30 | $163,004.80 |
Heather Conn | Professor | $157,073.60 | $- | $2,115.79 | $159,189.40 |
John Eisler | Interim VP Academic affairs | $155,824.60 | $- | $- | $155,824.60 |
Meghan Picone | Professor/Nursing | $145,746.60 | $- | $1,000.00 | $148,341.30 |
Adam Duggan | Vice President | $147,676.90 | $- | $- | $147,676.90 |
Carrie Arnold | Professor/Biology | $145,203.00 | $- | $1,000.00 | $146,203.00 |
Peter Sennett | Vice President/HR & AA | $145,436.30 | $- | $- | $145,436.30 |
Daniel Horlander | Executive Director ITS | $142,584.60 | $- | $- | $142,584.60 |
Jason Zelesky | Vice President | $142,584.60 | $- | $- | $142,584.60 |
Marcia Rosbury-Henne | Associate Vice President | $142,584.60 | $- | $1,000.00 | $142,584.60 |
Stephanie Williams | Chief Diversity Executive | $142,584.60 | $- | $- | $142,584.60 |
James Korman | Professor | $140,922.70 | $- | $1,243.30 | $142,166.00 |
Gail Steele | Professor/Theatre | $137,447.70 | $- | $4,409.40 | $141,857.10 |
Margaret Jaillet | Dean of Health Sciences | $64,427.66 | $- | $- | $140,291.50 |
Judy Fredette | Professor | $135,473.40 | $739.04 | $- | $137,601.90 |
Maureen Provost | Professor | $136,327.00 | $- | $- | $137,376.40 |
Festus Kiprono | Associate Professor/Math | $132,499.40 | $- | $1,000.00 | $133,499.40 |
Lisa Naze | Associate Professor/Biology | $132,006.60 | $- | $- | $133,006.60 |
Julie Capozzi | Professor | $130,925.40 | $- | $- | $132,428.20 |
Carla Zottoli | Executive Director/Dev&Foundat | $129,853.80 | $- | $- | $129,853.80 |
Heather Layton | Executive Director R & S I Dev | $129,853.80 | $- | $- | $129,853.80 |
Arthur Collins | Director/Media Services | $129,694.10 | $- | $- | $129,694.10 |
Laurie Occhipinti | Dean/Liberal Art Hum Comm&Educ | $128,197.40 | $- | $- | $128,197.40 |
Kimberly Shea | Dean | $128,097.80 | $- | $- | $128,097.80 |
Edward Mullen | Director of Enterprise Systems | $128,027.90 | $- | $- | $128,027.90 |
Kathleen McGinn | Professor | $71,408.57 | $- | $- | $127,456.70 |
William Lefrancois | Professor | $122,897.40 | $- | $- | $124,151.10 |
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Mount Wachusett College top salaries: James Vander Hooven tops list
