Silver Spring "Nonprofit" Safe Kids Worldwide: A Noble Mission — at What Cost?

Thank you to Bethesda Magazine for the story about $5000 grant to Safe Kids Worldwide (SKW) from Purple Line Transit Partners, the builders of the Purple Line. Unfortunately, Bethesda Magazine missed the real story — outsized compensation for the leadership of SKW —  so we'll fill you in.

Safe Kids Worldwide, the high-profile nonprofit that claims to work tirelessly to prevent childhood injuries — from traffic accidents to drownings and poisonings — is drawing scrutiny for the sky-high compensation its leaders collect. Public filings reveal a stark disconnect between the organization’s administrative payouts and its mission, especially as the nonprofit’s work overlaps substantially with many existing agencies and local coalitions.

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Executive Payouts Soar

The organization’s latest IRS Form 990 (fiscal year ending mid-2023) reveals pay packages more in line with corporate boardrooms than a child-safety charity.

• Kurt D. Newman, MD — Former President/CEO of Children’s National Medical Center — $3,000,204 in reportable compensation + $46,404 in other compensation = $3,046,608 total.

• Aldwin Lindsay, Executive VP & CFO — $1,138,312 base + $135,445 other = $1,273,757 total.

• Mary Anne Hilliard, Board Secretary — $932,977 base + $126,033 other = $1,059,010 total.

• Michelle Riley-Brown, President/CEO (CNMC, from July 2023) — $843,121 base + $15,887 other = $859,008 total.

• Torine V. Creppy, President of SKW (quoted in the Bethesda Magazine story) — $527,130 base + $84,224 other = $611,354 total.

• Jennifer MacKay, Director of Research — $194,256 base + $19,236 other = $213,492 total.

• Gary Karton, Content Advisor — $152,350 base + $7,835 other = $160,185 total.

• Shushanna Mignott, Program Director for Domestic Pedestrian Safety (through Nov. 2023) — $127,626 base + $31,579 other = $159,205 total.

• Cassandra Lynn Herring, Director of Child Occupant Protection — $137,226 base + $16,777 other = $154,003 total.

• E. Jane Enright, Creative Director — $133,279 base + $8,581 other = $141,860 total.

For context, these 10 individuals together accounted for roughly $7.78 million in total compensation — nearly 80% of SKW’s annual revenue.

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Income vs. Expenses: A Worrying Gap

SKW reported $9.79 million in revenue, with $1.62 million from program service income. The organization ended the year in the red by nearly $477,000.

Total expenses reached $8.16 million, of which $6.33 million went to program services. But executive and staff pay consumed a dominant share, leaving far less available for direct child safety initiatives.

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Duplicating Efforts Across Agencies and Coalitions

Safe Kids Worldwide frames itself as a global leader in unintentional injury prevention for children — covering road safety, home safety, sports safety, and more. But these topics are already addressed by:

• Federal agencies, like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (child passenger safety, bicycle safety), Consumer Product Safety Commission (product recalls, home hazards), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (injury prevention research).

• State and local governments, which run safety campaigns in schools and communities.

• Local nonprofits and hospitals, many of which operate car seat checks, drowning prevention programs, and helmet giveaways — often on shoestring budgets.

This raises the question: is SKW adding value, or simply repackaging existing efforts under its own brand while channeling large sums to executive pay?

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Local Spotlight: The $5K ‘Purple Line’ Grant

Bethesda Magazine reported on August 8, 2025 that SKW received a $5,000 grant from Purple Line Transit Partners to promote pedestrian and bike safety along the light-rail corridor in Silver Spring. The grant funded activities aimed at encouraging safer walking and biking for students — an admirable goal, but one already pursued by local school safety officers, municipal transportation departments, and bike/ped advocacy groups.

In comparison, that $5,000 represents less than one-tenth of one percent of what SKW’s president, Torine V. Creppy, earned last year.

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Putting the Contrasts in Perspective

• Total Executive Pay: about $7.78 million for 10 individuals.

• Total Revenue: $9.79 million (net loss ~$477,000).

• Program Service Spending: $6.33 million — less than what the top earners were paid collectively.

• Local Impact Example: A $5,000 pedestrian safety grant dwarfed by million-dollar executive packages.

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The Accountability Question

Should a nonprofit ostensibly focused on child safety — and funded through donations, grants, and sponsorships — devote such an outsized share of its budget to high-level salaries, especially when much of its work overlaps with existing public programs?

The juxtaposition is stark: a small grant to help keep kids safe walking to school, and multimillion-dollar paychecks for executives. Donors, partners, and the public may reasonably wonder whether their contributions are going toward real safety improvements — or sustaining an elite payroll.