Wright Brothers Institute Inc
Donations deductibleRevenue
$28.9m
year to 30 September 2025
Expenses
$29m
year to 30 September 2025
Total assets
$5.5m
$4.2m liabilities
Net assets
$1.3m
assets less liabilities
Directors and trustees
11
6.4 years on average
Staff
36
employees, year to 30 September 2025
Chair observed
≥7 yrs
John Leland
Left since last filing
0
no seats appear to have opened
Wright Brothers Institute Inc's network
11 people6 organisationsi11 people and 6 organisations on this map.The large node is the subject of this page. Solid lines are what the register itself records (11). Violet dotted lines (6) 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
11 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 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Leland Chair | Chairman | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Chris Coombs | Trustee | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Jeff Hoagland | Trustee | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Madhavi Kadakia | Trustee | 2021 | 5 yrs |
| Melchor J Antunano (also filed as Melchor Antunano) | Trustee | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Nina Joshi | Vice Chair | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Patty Buddelmeyer | Trustee | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Rajesh Naik | Trustee | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Shaun Smith | Treasurer | 2019 | 7 yrs |
| Ted Bucaro | Trustee | 2018 | 8 yrs |
| Vincent J Russo (also filed as Vince Russo) | Trustee | 2018 | 8 yrs |
Officers and senior leadership
15 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Wallace II | Employee | since 2019 |
| Christopher Remillard | Company secretary | since 2018 |
| James Heitner | Employee | 2018 |
| Karen Kaczmarek Leeker | Employee | 2020 |
| Larisa Dmitrienko | Employee | since 2018 |
| Martin Stiegar | Employee | 2025 |
| Meghan E Sheehan | Employee | since 2020 |
| Robert Klees | Associate Director | since 2019 |
| Robert Lee | Employee | since 2018 |
| Robert R Barthelemy PHD | Founding Director | since 2018 |
| Robert Williamson | Vice President | 2025 |
| Steve Fennessey | Interim President | since 2020 |
| Steve Finnessey | President | since 2022 |
| Tara Taylor | Employee | 2025 |
| Timothy Scott Springer | Employee | since 2021 |
Pay and hours
year to 30 September 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Finnessey | President | 40 | $224k | $60k | |
| Robert Williamson | Vice President | 40 | $175k | $6k | |
| Larisa Dmitrienko | Employee | 40 | $150k | $55k | |
| Benjamin Wallace | Employee | 40 | $147k | $21k | |
| Tara Taylor | Employee | 40 | $141k | $5k | |
| Robert Lee | Employee | 1 | $133k | $5k | |
| Wendell Banks | Former President | 40 | $128k | $972 | |
| Martin Stiegar | Employee | 40 | $127k | $37k | |
| Chris Remillard | Secretary | 40 | $123k | $4k | |
| Rajesh Naik | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Shaun Smith | Treasurer | 1 | $0 | ||
| Melchor Antunano | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| John Leland | Chairman | 1 | $0 | ||
| Nina Joshi | Vice Chair | 1 | $0 | ||
| Jeff Hoagland | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Madhavi Kadakia | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Ted Bucaro | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Patty Buddelmeyer | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Vince Russo | Trustee | 1 | $0 | ||
| Chris Coombs | Trustee | 1 | $0 |
About
- Legal name
- Wright Brothers Institute Inc
- EIN
- 820546129
- Address
- 1401 S Main St # 200, Dayton, OH, 45409-2670
- State
- Ohio
- Mission
- We overcome warfighter challenges and ensure solutions are ready for acquisition. Through collaborative innovation, we unite warfighters, technologists, acquirers, and leading experts from industry and academia to create and deliver groundbreaking solutions. (as filed on the Form 990)
- Activity (NTEE)
- S30 Community improvement and capacity building
- IRS classification
- 501(c)03 (tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) where shown)
- Classified purpose
- Community Improvement & Capacity Building
- Size band
- 7 (IRS master file code)
- Formed
- 2002
- Principal officer
- Robert Williamson (as named on the Form 990)
- IRS ruling date
- 1 May 2003
- 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 filingsJohn Leland
≥8years on the filingsJeff Hoagland
≥8years on the filingsMelchor J Antunano
≥8years on the filingsNina Joshi
Latest return
year to 30 September 2025iFigures from the newest Form 990 or 990-EZ in the IRS e-file releases of 2025 and 2026, for the year ending 30 September 2025. US dollars, as filed.- Total assets
- $5.5m
- Total liabilities
- $4.2m
- Net assets or fund balances
- $1.3m
- Contributions and grants received
- $129k
- Program service revenue
- $28.7m
- Employees
- 36
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 | $18.3m | $18.2m | $75k |
As filed on the IRS Form 990. US dollars.