WASHINGTON-CUNA President and CEO Dan Mica earned $776,990 in total compensation last year, more than double of his trade association peers based on annual association budget, but he is in line with other financial services trade execs. According to the American Society of Association Executives' 2003 Association Executives Salary and Benefits Study, trade associations with a budget of over $15 million paid their CEOs an average of just less than half of that and a median of $286,000. Former CUNA Chairman Barry Jolette, CEO of San Mateo Credit Union in California provided a statement in response to a query on the wide gap between the average salary of their peers and Mica's. "Under Dan Mica's leadership, CUNA has risen to become one of the most highly respected and influential trade associations in Washington," he said. "He's put in place an array of political advocacy programs the likes of which the credit union movement had never seen before. He's put together a talented, top-notch senior management team. And Dan's own political experience and acumen is tremendous, as recently noted when he made The Hill newspaper's list of the most influential lobbyists who formerly served in Congress. What I'm saying is Dan Mica is exactly the right person CUNA needs. He's done an extraordinary job dealing with Capitol Hill and the many other issues CUNA has faced. Given his record of accomplishment and how far he's taken this association – and looked at in the context of other top-tier Washington trade groups in the financial services sector – Dan's compensation is certainly not out of line." Jolette pointed to a salary survey performed a year ago by American Banker, which gave American Bankers Association Executive Vice President Donald Ogilvie's salary as $832,616 back in 2000 and put Financial Services Roundtable CEO Steve Bartlett's at $900,180 in 2001. Their salaries alone were more than Mica's total compensation. NAFCU felt no need to comment on President and CEO Fred Becker's salary, which is only just above the range for the group's peers, according to ASAE (See chart). [email protected]