After nine foster children died between 2009 and 2011 under the watch of Hillsborough Kids Inc., the embattled nonprofit was stripped of a $65 million state contract to protect the county's most vulnerable children. On June 30, 2012, it closed its doors.
But the checks kept rolling in for its top executive.
Our news partner The Tampa Bay Times reports that three years after Hillsborough Kids was shut down, the nonprofit's CEO, Karen Maziarz, received most of the nearly half-million dollars doled out in salaries in compensation largely paid out with leftover reserves. This, after the Times says she had already received a severance package and vacation payout of more than $110,000.
The nonprofit eventually renamed itself NextGen Alliance and Maziarz stayed on to help with the transition. Last year, a new board leadership took and noticed Maziarz was getting paid way more than other nonprofits of a similar size.
Now, the board's president is saying it may be time for a fresh start.
