Joint Center for Political and Economic

“The joint center for political and economic studies has its form 990 prepared by an outside accounting firm. It is first reviewed by the vice president of finance and operations and then reviewed by the audit & finance committee and then the full board at their respective meetings. A complete copy of the form 990 is provided to all members of the organization's governing body prior to filing with the irs.”

“The organization has a conflict of interest policy which it regularly and consistently monitors and enforces. Each director, principal officer and member of a committee with governing board delegated powers annually signs a conflict of interest attestation statement where they must disclose the existence of any possible conflict of interest. Any persons with a potential conflict are given the opportunity to disclose all material facts to the directors and members of committees who are considering the proposed transaction or arrangement. The interested person must leave the meeting while the determination of a conflict of interest is discussed and voted upon. The governing board or committee determines whether to enter into the transaction or arrangement.”

“The board of governors approved the compensation for the joint center's president, based on research completed in 2021. The chair of the board of governors obtained an independent compensation study and formalized the compensation through a signed employment agreement with the president. The review and approval process was documented in the board minutes. In 2024, the permanent president was hired. His compensation as president was based on the research completed in 2021 as well. The governance and compensation committee conducted an annual formal review of the executive's performance. The review included the executive's performance, measured against established performance standards that the committee, working in collaboration with the executive, establishes annually. The committee endeavors to provide feedback to the executive concerning the executive's performance at least semi-annually. The executive's compensation is reviewed by the board and may be adjusted at the discretion of the board. The compensation of the chief financial officer was determined in accordance with the organization's employee handbook, the job description of the role, as well as the laws, rules, and regulations of the district of columbia and of the federal government.”

“The center makes its form 990 available for public inspection as required under section 6104 of the internal revenue code. The return is also posted on guidestar.org and other similar types of websites. In addition, the financial statements, conflict of interest policy, and by-laws are available upon request.”

“During 2025, opal hawkins served in both an independent contractor and employee capacity, providing financial advisory consulting services to the president and serving as chief financial officer (cfo). Financial advisory consultant to the president: $7,500 cfo (from november 2024): $18,446”

“AR,CA,MD,MI,VA,DC”

“The organization has a committee that is responsible for the oversight of the audit of its financial statements and selection of an independent accountant. The process has not changed from the prior year.”