Merit School of Music
Donations deductibleMerit School of Music's network
28 people8 organisationsi28 people and 8 organisations on this map.The large node is the subject of this page. Solid lines are what the register itself records (28). Violet dotted lines (8) are likely: the same full name sits on the current board of another organisation in the same register and region. Form 990 filings give names without a person identifier; SEC insider filings carry a CIK. It may be a different person.The board
28 listediTime on the board is observed from the annual filings: the IRS files no appointment date, so the bar counts years from the first filing the person appears on - a lower bound, not a filed start date. Names are exactly as filed. The IRS publishes no person identifier, so this edition does not yet link a person across organisations in the tables. The network map shows same-name matches as likely links only, never as confirmed.Time served and departures are observed across annual filings. Observed time served is a lower bound - a member may have joined before the first year on record. The organisation reported 27 voting members of its governing body on its latest Form 990 Part VI, which matches the board listed here.| Name | Role as filed | Since | On the board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles K Huebner Chair | Immediate Past Board Chair | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Julie Green Baumeister Chair | Board Chair | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Abiman Rajadurai | Trustee | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Binta Brown | Trustee | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| Carol Clavadetscher | Trustee | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Cathy Wloch | Trustee | 2025 | 1 yr |
| Cynthia Mufarreh | Trustee | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| David P Thomas | Trustee | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| David Schulz | Trustee | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Dr Derrick Gay | Trustee | 2025 | 1 yr |
| Dr Huan J Chang | Trustee | 2025 | 1 yr |
| Dr Jennifer Turner | Trustee | 2025 | 1 yr |
| Jenyce Boolton | Trustee | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Jeffrey Breslow | Trustee | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Jennifer Montague | Vice Chair | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Jennifer Vianello | Trustee | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Joe Musselman | Trustee | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| John F Young | Trustee | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Kamila Muhammed | Associate Board Representative | 2025 | 1 yr |
| Marisela Rosales Lawson | Company secretary | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Matt Gruseck | Trustee | 2025 | 1 yr |
| Michael Andrews (also filed as Mike Andrews) | Treasurer | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| Micheal Powers | Trustee | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Nishad Parmar | Trustee | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Ryan Devore | Trustee | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Sandy Rusnak | Trustee | 2025 | 1 yr |
| Susie Sultan | Trustee | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| Thomas Linguanti | Vice Chair | 2018 | 8 yrs |
Officers and senior leadership
7 listediNamed in Part VII as officers, key employees or highest-compensated staff - not board members, shown for completeness.| Name | Title as filed | On the filings |
|---|---|---|
| Adrienne Thompson | Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services | since 2022 |
| Amy Johnson | Vice President for Finance & Administration | since 2018 |
| Charles Grode | President and Executive Director | since 2018 |
| Cheryl Wolfersberger | Director of Finance | 2018 |
| Kurtis C Gildow | Vice President for Programming | since 2019 |
| Meredith Barber | Vice President for Development & Marketing | since 2019 |
| Steven Berry | Vice President for Development & Marketing | since 2018 |
Pay and hours
year to 31 August 2025iFrom Part VII of the Form 990: compensation reported for each officer, director, trustee, key employee and highest-paid staff member, and the average hours a week they report. Most board members are unpaid; a blank means nothing was reported. Pay from related organisations is shown separately.| Name | Title as filed | Hours a week | Pay from the organisation | Related organisations | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Grode | President and Executive Director | 37.5 | $194k | $7k | |
| Meredith Barber | Vice President for Development & Marketing | 37.5 | $134k | $5k | |
| Kurtis C Gildow | Vice President for Programming | 37.5 | $120k | $4k | |
| Amy Johnson | Vice President for Finance & Administration | 37.5 | $107k | $4k | |
| Julie Green Baumeister | Board Chair | 3 | $0 | ||
| Thomas Linguanti | Vice Chair | 3 | $0 | ||
| Jennifer Montague | Vice Chair | 2 | $0 | ||
| Michael Andrews | Treasurer | 2 | $0 | ||
| Marisela Rosales Lawson | Secretary | 2 | $0 | ||
| Kamila Muhammed | Associate Board Representative | 2 | $0 | ||
| Charles K Huebner | Immediate Past Board Chair | 2 | $0 | ||
| JeNyce Boolton | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Ryan DeVore | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Jeffrey Breslow | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Binta Brown | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Carol Clavadetscher | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Matt Gruseck | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Dr Derrick Gay | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Cynthia Mufarreh | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Joe Musselman | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Nishad Parmar | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Micheal Powers | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Abiman Rajadurai | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| David Schulz | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Susie Sultan | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| David P Thomas | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Dr Jennifer Turner | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Jennifer Vianello | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| John F Young | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Cathy Wloch | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Dr Huan J Chang | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Sandy Rusnak | Trustee | 1 | $0 |
About
- Legal name
- Merit School of Music
- EIN
- 363028768
- Address
- 38 S Peoria St, Chicago, IL, 60607-2628
- State
- Illinois
- Mission
- Merit School of Music is dedicated to helping young people transform their lives by removing barriers to high-quality music education, with the majority of students benefitting from need-based financial aid, scholarship support, or low-cost instrument rental. Merit enables motivated students, regardless of economic circumstance, to develop their talent and to use music as a springboard for... (as filed on the Form 990)
- Activity (NTEE)
- A6E0 Arts, culture and humanities
- IRS classification
- 501(c)03 (tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) where shown)
- Classified purpose
- Arts, Culture & Humanities
- Size band
- 8 (IRS master file code)
- Formed
- 1979
- IRS ruling date
- 1 September 1979
- Status
- Code 01 (unconditional exemption)
- Form 990 filings on record
- 8, latest 2025
- IRS Publication 78
- PC (contributions deductible)
Most connected
Longest observed on the filings
≥8years on the filingsCharles K Huebner
≥8years on the filingsJulie Green Baumeister
≥8years on the filingsCarol Clavadetscher
≥8years on the filingsDavid P Thomas
Latest return
year to 31 August 2025iFigures from the newest Form 990 or 990-EZ in the IRS e-file releases of 2025 and 2026, for the year ending 31 August 2025. US dollars, as filed.- Total assets
- $46.9m
- Total liabilities
- $1.3m
- Net assets or fund balances
- $45.6m
- Contributions and grants received
- $6.9m
- Program service revenue
- $3.4m
- Grants and similar paid out
- $883k
- Employees
- 224
- Volunteers
- 80
Filed finances
1 yeariTotals as filed on the IRS Form 990 (revenue and expenses), by tax year.| Tax year | Total revenue | Total expenses | Surplus or deficit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $16m | $9.2m | $6.8m |
As filed on the IRS Form 990. US dollars.