The board of directors for Washington Hospital Healthcare System in Fremont, Calif., awarded CEO Nancy Farber more than $162,000 in incentives and bonuses, increasing her current compensation to nearly $814,000, according to a Fremont Argus report.
Ms. Farber is one of the highest-paid public employees in California, and her compensation was actually higher in 2011, when she earned $936,349, according to the report. However, board members said comparing her compensation to other California public employees is erroneous.
"It's a temptation for all of us to compare the CEO's salary with other elected officials or other public officials, but I can't stress in the strongest means possible, that is an absolute error," Washington Hospital Board Member Bernard Steward told the Fremont Argus. "We in this hospital are a public hospital. We are a publicly elected board, but we are engaged in an incredibly competitive and difficult business, and we are different from any other public organization in that regard."
Ms. Farber's bonus represents roughly 25 percent of her salary, and she was eligible for a bonus up to 40 percent of her salary, according to the report.
Ms. Farber is one of the highest-paid public employees in California, and her compensation was actually higher in 2011, when she earned $936,349, according to the report. However, board members said comparing her compensation to other California public employees is erroneous.
"It's a temptation for all of us to compare the CEO's salary with other elected officials or other public officials, but I can't stress in the strongest means possible, that is an absolute error," Washington Hospital Board Member Bernard Steward told the Fremont Argus. "We in this hospital are a public hospital. We are a publicly elected board, but we are engaged in an incredibly competitive and difficult business, and we are different from any other public organization in that regard."
Ms. Farber's bonus represents roughly 25 percent of her salary, and she was eligible for a bonus up to 40 percent of her salary, according to the report.
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