Wake Forest University president salary and executive pay
Wake Forest University paid its president, Susan R Wente PhD, $1,883,267 for the fiscal year ending June 2025. That is up $83,891 (4.7%) from the fiscal year ending June 2024. Wake Forest University ranks 38th of 100 universities on this site by president's pay. Wake Forest University has 5 Form 990 returns on record, for fiscal years ending 2021 to 2025.
Last updated from IRS e-file data. EIN 56-0532138, Winstonsalem, NC.
President, fiscal year ending June 2025
$1,883,267
Highest-paid person, fiscal year ending June 2025
$7,634,720Julie A Freischlag MDEVP Health Aff.
- Total revenue
- $843,176,173
- Pay vs. peers
- Higher than 85%
Source: Form 990, fiscal year ending June 2025, IRS object ID 202601359349305890.View the filing
Peers: the 94 other universities on this site. Ranked 15th of 95 by top pay as a share of revenue. Pay is 0.22% 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, 14 people were paid more than $500,000, 9 of them more than $1 million.
| Name and title | Total |
|---|---|
| Julie A Freischlag MDEVP Health Aff. | $7,634,720 |
| David P ClawsonFootball Coach | $4,951,073 |
| Steve ForbesMen's BktBall Co | $2,586,667 |
| Susan R Wente PhD President President & Trustee | $1,883,267 |
| John A CurrieDirector of Athletics | $1,377,977 |
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 | Susan R Wente PhD President President & Trustee | $1,883,267 | $843,176,173 | Filing |
| Jun 2024 | Susan R Wente PhD President President & Trustee | $1,799,376 | $764,367,570 | Filing |
| Jun 2023 | Susan R Wente PhD President President & Trustee | $1,712,240 | $686,860,190 | Filing |
| Jun 2022 | Susan R Wente PhD President President & Trustee | $848,833 | $715,438,504 | Filing |
| Jun 2021 | Nathan O Hatch PhD President Pres. & Trustee | $1,753,953 | $681,736,258 | 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 202601359349305890.View the filing
| Part VII | Schedule J | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name and title | From org | Related | Other | Base | Bonus | Other | Deferred | Nontaxable | Total |
| Julie A Freischlag MD*EVP Health Aff. | $0 | $7,594,629 | $40,091 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Schedule J, from related orgs | $2,476,070 | $4,358,126 | $760,433 | $19,092 | $20,999 | $7,634,720 | |||
| David P ClawsonFootball Coach | $4,869,999 | $0 | $81,074 | $4,763,190 | $30,000 | $76,809 | $34,500 | $46,574 | $4,951,073 |
| Schedule J, from related orgs | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
| Steve ForbesMen's BktBall Co | $2,515,493 | $0 | $71,174 | $2,387,140 | $92,000 | $36,353 | $25,875 | $45,299 | $2,586,667 |
| Schedule J, from related orgs | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
| Susan R Wente PhDPresident & Trustee | $1,519,832 | $0 | $363,435 | $1,129,530 | $322,500 | $67,802 | $288,531 | $74,904 | $1,883,267 |
| Schedule J, from related orgs | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
| John A CurrieDirector of Athletics | $1,254,401 | $0 | $123,576 | $984,090 | $240,000 | $30,311 | $75,875 | $47,701 | $1,377,977 |
| Schedule J, from related orgs | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
These figures come from Wake Forest 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 Wake Forest University compares
Ranked 38th of 100 universities by president's pay.
Closest in revenue among the universities on this site:
Lehigh University$1,145,854 (President), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
Marquette University$869,890 (President), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University$1,048,438 (President), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
University of Denver$1,209,539 (Chancellor), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
Loyola Marymount University$1,237,126 (President), fiscal year ending May 2025
Common questions
Susan R Wente PhD (President & Trustee) was paid $1,883,267 for the fiscal year ending June 2025: $1,519,832 from Wake Forest University and $363,435 in other compensation (Part VII columns D and F). Wake Forest University ranks 38th of 100 universities on this site by president's pay.
The highest-paid person on the latest return was Julie A Freischlag MD (EVP Health Aff.), at $7,634,720. That is $5,751,453 more than the president, Susan R Wente PhD. Next was David P Clawson (Football Coach), at $4,951,073. On the latest return, 14 people were paid more than $500,000, 9 of them more than $1 million.
Wake Forest University paid its president, Susan R Wente PhD, $1,883,267 for the fiscal year ending June 2025. That is up $83,891 (4.7%) from the fiscal year ending June 2024. The earliest return on record is for the fiscal year ending June 2021, when the president was Nathan O Hatch PhD, paid $1,753,953. By fiscal year end: June 2021, $1,753,953 (Nathan O Hatch PhD); June 2022, $848,833 (Susan R Wente PhD); June 2023, $1,712,240; June 2024, $1,799,376; June 2025, $1,883,267.
From the 5 Form 990 returns Wake Forest University filed with the IRS for fiscal years ending 2021 to 2025. Schedule J of the fiscal year ending June 2025 return breaks down pay for all 5 people in the pay breakdown above. The methodology page explains how they're chosen.