Federal tax filings show the Obama Foundation paid CEO Valerie Jarrett $740,000 in 2024, making her the highest-compensated leader among major presidential foundations, as the long-delayed $850 million Obama Presidential Center nears completion on publicly owned Chicago parkland.
Jarrett, one of Barack Obama’s closest White House advisors, took over as foundation CEO in 2021. Six of the organization’s 10 highest-paid executives previously held senior roles in the Obama administration or his presidential campaign, according to a review of filings from 2018 to 2024.
Foundation payroll has ballooned alongside the building project. Total salaries and benefits climbed from $18.5 million in 2018 to $43.7 million in 2024, as headcount swelled to 337 employees and annual revenue reached nearly $210 million.
“Illinois Democrats are truly living their best lives, making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to help design the ugliest building in Chicago,” Illinois Republican Party Chairman Kathy Salvi told Fox News. “Their jaw-dropping salaries prove that Illinois’ culture of corruption is alive and well as Barack Obama’s top allies rake in the cash.”
Jarrett’s $740,000 package outpaces compensation at comparable institutions. The George W. Bush Presidential Center reported CEO pay of roughly $661,000 in 2024. The Carter Center and the Reagan Foundation each came in around the $500,000 range. The Clinton Foundation’s most recent filings put its top executive below $500,000.
Other former Obama officials drew heavily from foundation coffers. David Simas, Obama’s former White House political director, earned up to $626,000 annually while leading the foundation from 2017 to 2020. Adewale Adeyemo, who later served as Biden’s deputy Treasury secretary, pulled roughly $540,000 during his time as the foundation’s first president. Two additional former aides, Anne Filipic and Christina Tchen, each collected around $400,000 annually in senior roles. A fifth, Michael Strautmanis, has earned more than $300,000 per year.
The center is being built on a 19.3-acre parcel of publicly owned Jackson Park in Chicago under a $10, 99-year-use agreement. Unlike traditional presidential libraries overseen by the National Archives, the Obama Presidential Center will not be a federally operated institution. The Obama Foundation, which runs the project, controls the facility and its programming independently.
