Boston University president salary and executive pay
Boston University paid its president, Melissa L Gilliam, $1,704,300 for the fiscal year ending June 2025. On the return for the fiscal year ending June 2024, the president was Robert A Brown, paid $3,292,292. Total revenue on that return was $3,513,830,353, up 7.9% from $3,257,563,350 for the fiscal year ending June 2024. Boston University ranks 52nd of 137 universities on this site by president's pay. Boston University has 4 Form 990 returns on record, for fiscal years ending 2022 to 2025.
Last updated from IRS e-file data. EIN 04-2103547, Boston, MA.
President, fiscal year ending June 2025
$1,704,300
- Total revenue
- $3,513,830,353
- Pay vs. peers
- Higher than 12%
Source: Form 990, fiscal year ending June 2025, IRS object ID 202611339349301666.View the filing
Peers: the 131 other universities on this site. Ranked 115th of 132 by top pay as a share of revenue. Pay is 0.05% of revenue, our calculation from the same return. Revenue is Part I, line 12; peers are compared on their latest full-year returns.
Highest-paid people on the latest return
On the latest return, 16 people were paid more than $500,000, 9 of them more than $1 million.
| Name and title | Total |
|---|---|
| Melissa L Gilliam President PRESIDENT (AS OF 7/1/24) | $1,704,300 |
| Pushkar MehraPROFESSOR & ORAL SURGEON | $1,591,755 |
| Clarissa C HunnewellCHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER | $1,584,339 |
| Chadi TannouryPROFESSOR & PHYSICIAN | $1,437,390 |
| Xinning LiPROFESSOR & PHYSICIAN | $1,398,885 |
Also paid on the latest return: William Creevy (PROFESSOR & PHYSICIAN), $1,298,522; Kenneth W Freeman (FMR INT PRES (8/1/23-6/30/24) & PROF), $1,180,480; Karen H Antman MD (MED. CAMPUS PROVOST (UNTIL 6/30/25)), $1,152,100; Robert A Brown (FMR PRESIDENT (UNTIL 7/31/23) & PROF), $1,072,956; Jean Morrison (FMR UNI PROV (UNTIL 6/30/23) & PROF), $920,818; Kenneth R Lutchen (INT UNI PROV (7/1/23-6/30/24) & PROF), $873,191; Erika Geetter (SR VP, GEN COUNSEL, SECRETARY), $841,406; Gary W Nicksa Fmr Sr Vp Cfo (TREAS (UNTIL 12/31/23)& CONS TO PRESIDENT), $821,701; Gloria Waters (UNIVERSITY PROVOST (AS OF 7/1/24)), $756,905; Derek Howe (SR VP OPS, ASSISTANT TREASURER), $683,839; Nicole K Tirella (SR VP, CFO, & TREASURER), $570,535; Kevin E Smith (TRUSTEE & PROFESSOR), $269,919.
Also listed in Part VII of the latest return, with no pay reported: Maureen Alphonse-Charles (TRUSTEE), Thomas J Bickerton (TRUSTEE (AS OF 9/26/24)), Cassandra M Clay (TRUSTEE), Cynthia R Cohen (TRUSTEE), John D Couris (TRUSTEE (AS OF 9/26/24)), Shamim A Dahod (TRUSTEE), Nathaniel Dalton (TRUSTEE), Ahmass L Fakahany (TRUSTEE), Maurice R Ferre (TRUSTEE), Sandra A Frazier (TRUSTEE), Michael D Fricklas (TRUSTEE), Ryan K Roth Gallo (TRUSTEE), Richard C Godfrey (TRUSTEE), Antonio G Gomes (TRUSTEE), Carolyn Hessler-Radelet (TRUSTEE (UNTIL 8/20/24)), Rajen A Kilachand (TRUSTEE (UNTIL 9/26/24)), Ranch C Kimball (TRUSTEE), Antoinette R Leatherberry (TRUSTEE), Kenneth Lin (TRUSTEE), Joseph Loscalzo (TRUSTEE), Kevin Merida (TRUSTEE), Ruth A Moorman (TRUSTEE), Alicia C Mullen (TRUSTEE), Eric D Muller (TRUSTEE (AS OF 9/26/24)), Rebecca Norlander (TRUSTEE), and 10 more.
President's pay by year
Each row is the president on that year's return.
| Fiscal year ending | Name and title | Total | Revenue | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2025 | Melissa L Gilliam President PRESIDENT (AS OF 7/1/24) | $1,704,300 | $3,513,830,353 | Filing |
| Jun 2024 | Robert A Brown President PRESIDENT (UNTIL 7/31/23) | $3,292,292 | $3,257,563,350 | Filing |
| Jun 2023 | Robert A Brown President PRESIDENT | $2,618,817 | $3,310,909,056 | Filing |
| Jun 2022 | Robert A Brown President PRESIDENT | $2,032,448 | $3,129,652,283 | Filing |
How this pay was reported
The parts of each total, as reported on the return for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Source: Form 990, fiscal year ending June 2025, IRS object ID 202611339349301666.View the filing
| Part VII | Schedule J | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name and title | From org | Related | Other | Base | Bonus | Other | Deferred | Nontaxable | Total |
| Melissa L GilliamPRESIDENT (AS OF 7/1/24) | $1,350,089 | $0 | $354,211 | $1,135,549 | $0 | $214,540 | $0 | $354,211 | $1,704,300 |
| Schedule J, from related orgs | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
| Pushkar MehraPROFESSOR & ORAL SURGEON | $1,517,272 | $0 | $74,483 | $546,952 | $890,044 | $80,276 | $40,022 | $34,461 | $1,591,755 |
| Schedule J, from related orgs | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
| Clarissa C HunnewellCHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER | $1,521,326 | $0 | $63,013 | $902,169 | $612,358 | $6,799 | $40,022 | $22,991 | $1,584,339 |
| Schedule J, from related orgs | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
| Chadi Tannoury*PROFESSOR & PHYSICIAN | $0 | $1,376,064 | $61,326 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Schedule J, from related orgs | $1,374,354 | $0 | $1,710 | $29,672 | $31,654 | $1,437,390 | |||
| Xinning Li*PROFESSOR & PHYSICIAN | $0 | $1,330,643 | $68,242 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Schedule J, from related orgs | $1,205,144 | $0 | $125,499 | $36,572 | $31,670 | $1,398,885 | |||
These figures come from Boston University's Form 990 returns, as the IRS publishes them. The methodology page explains how they're chosen. To report an error, email corrections@ceopaycheck.com.
How Boston University compares
Ranked 52nd of 137 universities by president's pay.
- Previous in this ranking: 51st, Caltech, $1,753,140
- Next in this ranking: 53rd, University of San Diego, $1,682,191
Closest in revenue among the universities on this site:
Caltech$1,753,140 (President), fiscal year ending Sep 2025
University of Pittsburgh$1,241,200 (Chancellor), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
Princeton University$1,657,737 (President), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
Northeastern University$3,045,428 (President), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
Northwestern University$2,085,890 (President), fiscal year ending Aug 2025
Common questions
Melissa L Gilliam (PRESIDENT (AS OF 7/1/24)) was paid $1,704,300 for the fiscal year ending June 2025: $1,350,089 from Boston University and $354,211 in other compensation (Part VII columns D and F).
The president, Melissa L Gilliam, was the highest-paid person on the latest return, at $1,704,300.
Boston University paid its president, Melissa L Gilliam, $1,704,300 for the fiscal year ending June 2025. On the return for the fiscal year ending June 2024, the president was Robert A Brown, paid $3,292,292. The earliest return on record is for the fiscal year ending June 2022, when the president was Robert A Brown, paid $2,032,448. By fiscal year end: June 2022, $2,032,448 (Robert A Brown); June 2023, $2,618,817; June 2024, $3,292,292; June 2025, $1,704,300 (Melissa L Gilliam).
Boston University's return for the fiscal year ending June 2025 reports total expenses of $3,419,039,088 and total revenue of $3,513,830,353 (Part I, lines 18 and 12), so revenue exceeded expenses by $94,791,265. Expenses were $3,195,959,811 for the fiscal year ending June 2024, so they rose 7.0%. The president's pay of $1,704,300 equals 0.05% of expenses, our calculation.
From the 4 Form 990 returns Boston University filed with the IRS for fiscal years ending 2022 to 2025. The latest full-year return was filed on May 13, 2026. Schedule J of the fiscal year ending June 2025 return breaks down pay for all 5 people in the pay breakdown above.