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Baltimore

Baltimore nonprofit CEO paid nearly $700K despite revenue drop

Global Refuge CEO earned $686,000 in 2025 while the nonprofit's revenue fell 44%, according to tax filings.

Oct 20, 2026, 3:56 PM By the Genius Eye newsroom (City Reporter) · Fact-checkedHow we report
Photo: Daniel Case / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A Baltimore-based nonprofit focused on refugee resettlement paid its CEO nearly $700,000 in total compensation last year despite a significant decline in its revenue, The Center Square reported.

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, former policy director for First Lady Michelle Obama, leads Global Refuge, a faith-based organization that has received hundreds of millions in federal grants since 2021. In 2025, she earned $686,000, a slight decrease from $699,000 in 2024.

During the same period, Global Refuge’s revenue dropped by 44%, falling from $304.3 million in 2024 to $170.4 million in 2025, according to the nonprofit’s tax filings reviewed by The Center Square.

In 2024, O’Mara Vignarajah received a bonus of $172,963 on top of a base salary of $526,536. In 2025, she did not receive a bonus, but her base salary increased to $686,000.

An accounting professor expressed concern about the salary increase amid the revenue decline, questioning how the board justified the raise. Representatives from Global Refuge did not respond to requests for comment.

Global Refuge, formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, primarily assists displaced residents from countries including Afghanistan and Venezuela, according to The Center Square.

Sources
  1. FOX45 Baltimore: Taxpayer Philanthropy: Nonprofit pays Michelle Obama aide $700k
  2. fairfieldsuntimes.com: Taxpayer Philanthropy : Nonprofit pays Michelle Obama aide $700k
We read public reporting and official data, confirm what we can, and write our own story. See something wrong? Request a correction.

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