Brookdale Senior Living Executive Compensation (FY25)
BKD · Brentwood, TN · Executive and director compensation, fiscal 2022 to 2025
The paid brief on Brookdale Senior Living
Positioning against its disclosed peers, the governance read, incentive design, and the CD&A alignment analysis; the full peer table; a committee-ready PDF.
From $1,200 for the board report; $2,400 for both.
Data as of September 19, 2026Latest filing (8-K): June 24, 2026
15 filings cited on this page
Method: intel.velarion.ai/methodology
A report that fails to generate is refunded in full
Published by Velarion Company Intelligence
$1,500Get the executive brief
347 figures on this page: 336 cited to the filing that reported them, 11 calculated from figures it prints. See the citations
More on Brookdale Senior Living
Five data products on this company. Each one is requested through the developer setup page.
- Peer Disclosure Audit$5The comparison companies this board named, each one tied to the filing that lists it.How to get Peer Disclosure Audit
- Governance Provisions PullfreeThe governance provisions as the proxy states them: board leadership, committee membership, and shareholder rights.How to get Governance Provisions Pull
- Say-on-Pay Risk Signal$9A risk band for the next say-on-pay vote, with the support history and the peer comparison behind it.How to get Say-on-Pay Risk Signal
- NEO Comp Report$24Every named executive officer’s pay by element and year, with the citation behind each figure.How to get NEO Comp Report
- Board Comp Report$24What each non-employee director was paid, the standing fee schedule, and the equity each one holds at year end.How to get Board Comp Report
What changed from fiscal 2024 to fiscal 2025
The figures that moved, and by how much. Analysis of these figures is part of the Velarion platform.
Chief executive of record: Lucinda Baier → Nikolas Stengle
Say-on-pay support: 92.1% → 97.1% (5.0 points higher)
CEO pay ratio: 332:1 → 349:1 (5.1% higher)
Frequently asked questions
Answers drawn from the data on this page.
Who is Brookdale Senior Living's chief executive and what were they paid?
Nikolas Stengle, Chief Executive Officer, received $5,307,655 in total compensation for fiscal 2025.
What was Brookdale Senior Living's say-on-pay result?
For fiscal 2025, shareholders backed the say-on-pay proposal with 97.1% of votes cast for or against in favor at the meeting held June 22, 2026.
Which companies are in Brookdale Senior Living's peer group?
The disclosed peer group names Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc., Amedisys, Inc., Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc., Bloomin Brands, Inc. and Brinker International, Inc., among others.
What is Brookdale Senior Living's chief executive pay ratio?
For fiscal 2025, the company reported a chief executive pay ratio of 349:1, against median employee compensation of $34,491.
Executive compensation
Every element reported for each named executive officer, by fiscal year.
Fiscal 2022
| Officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension and deferred earnings | All other compensation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lucinda Baier President and Chief Executive Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Steven Swain Former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Departed during or after this year | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Kevin Bowman Former Executive Vice President Community Operations Departed during or after this year | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Chad White Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
H. Kaestner Executive Vice President Corporate Development and President CCRCs | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Dawn Kussow Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Fiscal 2023
| Officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension and deferred earnings | All other compensation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lucinda Baier President and Chief Executive Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Dawn Kussow Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Chad White Executive Vice President General Counsel and Secretary | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Steven Swain Former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Departed during or after this year | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
H. Kaestner Executive Vice President – Corporate Development and President – CCRCs | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Kevin Bowman Former Executive Vice President – Community Operations Departed during or after this year | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
George Hicks Executive Vice President – Finance and Treasurer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Fiscal 2024
| Officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension and deferred earnings | All other compensation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lucinda Baier Former President and Chief Executive Officer Departed during or after this year | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Dawn Kussow Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; member of the Office of the CEO | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Chad White Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary; member of the Office of the CEO | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
H. Kaestner Executive Vice President – Corporate Development and President – CCRCs | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
George Hicks Executive Vice President – Finance and Treasurer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Fiscal 2025
| Officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension and deferred earnings | All other compensation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lucinda Baier Former President and Chief Executive Officer Departed during or after this year | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Nikolas Stengle Chief Executive Officer | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Dawn Kussow Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Chad White Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
H. Kaestner Former Executive Vice President – Corporate Development and President – CCRCs Departed during or after this year | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Denise Warren Former Interim Chief Executive Officer Departed during or after this year Served on an interim basis | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | — | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Jaclyn Pritchett Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
Benjamin Ricci Former Division Vice President – East Division Departed during or after this year | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | — | ◇ | ◇ |
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero. A negative change in pension value is shown but, as the company reports it, not included in the total.
Equity awards granted
Individual awards as disclosed: type, date, unit counts at each level, and grant date value.
Fiscal 2025
| Officer | Award | Grant date | Threshold units | Target units | Units granted | Maximum units | Exercise price | Grant date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin J. Ricci | RSU | ◇ | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
| Chad C. White | RSU | ◇ | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
| Dawn L. Kussow | RSU | ◇ | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
| Denise W. Warren | RSU | ◇ | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
| Jaclyn C. Pritchett | RSU | ◇ | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
| Lucinda M. Baier | RSU | ◇ | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
| Nikolas W. Stengle | RSU | ◇ | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
| Todd Kaestner | RSU | ◇ | — | — | ◇ | — | — | ◇ |
Fiscal 2022, 2023, 2024 are included in the PDF.
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero. Threshold, target and maximum apply only to performance awards and are never shown for time-based or option awards.
Outstanding awards
Awards still held at fiscal year end.
As disclosed at fiscal 2025 year end
| Officer | Award | Unvested units | Market value of unvested units | Exercise price | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawn Kussow | RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| PSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| PSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| Jaclyn Pritchett | RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| PSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| PSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| Benjamin Ricci | RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| PSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| PSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| H. Kaestner | PSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| PSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| Chad White | RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| PSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| PSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| Nikolas Stengle | RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| PSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| PSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| Lucinda Baier | PSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| PSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | |
| RSU | ◇ | ◇ | — | — |
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero.
Director compensation
What each non-employee director was paid.
Fiscal 2025
| Director | Fees earned in cash | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension and deferred earnings | All other compensation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lee S. Wielansky | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | — | ◇ |
Frank M. Bumstead | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | — | ◇ |
Victoria L. Freed | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | — | ◇ |
Jordan R. Asher | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | — | ◇ |
Claudia N. Drayton | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | — | ◇ |
Elizabeth B. Mace | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | — | ◇ |
Mark Fioravanti | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | — | ◇ |
Joshua Hausman | ◇ | ◇ | — | — | — | — | ◇ |
Nikolas W. Stengle, C. Christian Winkle, Lucinda M. Baier and Denise W. Warren served on the board in fiscal 2025 and received no compensation for board service. Executive directors are typically paid through their executive roles, shown above.
Earlier years are included in the PDF.
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column. $0 is shown only where the filing prints a zero.
Director fee schedule
The standing retainers and premiums the board pays, as published.
| Board cash retainer | ◇ |
| Board equity retainer | ◇ |
| Total board retainer | ◇ |
| Board chair premium | ◇ |
| Audit committee chair | ◇ |
| Compensation committee chair | ◇ |
| Nominating and governance chair | ◇ |
| Board meeting fee | ◇ |
| Committee meeting fee | ◇ |
Equity is delivered as Immediately Vested Stock / RSUs.
Disclosed peer group
The companies this board named as its compensation comparison group. The list is disclosure; the comparison is analysis.
Fiscal 2025
- Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. ACHC
- Amedisys, Inc. AMED
- Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc. AVAH
- Bloomin Brands, Inc. BLMN
- Brinker International, Inc. EAT
- Chemed Corporation CHE
- Community Health Systems, Inc. CYH
- Encompass Health Corporation EHC
- Hyatt Hotels Corporation H
- National Healthcare Corporation NHC
- Pediatrix Medical Group, Inc. MD
- Quest Diagnostics Incorporated DGX
- Select Medical Holdings Corporation SEM
- Surgery Partners, Inc. SGRY
- The Ensign Group, Inc. ENSG
- Universal Health Services, Inc. UHS
- Welltower Inc. WELL
- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. WH
Say-on-pay history
Shareholder support for the compensation program, by year.
| Year | Meeting | Support | Votes for | Votes against | Abstentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | June 22, 2026 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2024 | July 11, 2025 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2023 | June 18, 2024 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2022 | June 20, 2023 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2021 | June 21, 2022 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2020 | June 17, 2021 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2019 | June 30, 2020 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2018 | October 29, 2019 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2017 | October 4, 2018 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2016 | September 25, 2017 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
| 2015 | June 13, 2016 | = | ◇ | ◇ | ◇ |
Chief executive pay ratio
As calculated and reported by the company.
Ratio
◇
Median employee compensation
◇
Chief executive total compensation
◇
What this page does not include
Everything above is a fact Brookdale Senior Living disclosed, and it is free. Everything below is our analysis of those facts, and it is not.
Peer benchmarking
Where Brookdale Senior Living sits against its disclosed peers — percentile position by role and by pay element, and the ranking behind it. The disclosed peer group is free; comparisons across it are part of the Velarion platform.
Executive Compensation Report — $1,500Written compensation analysis
A read of the pay program as designed and as paid: incentive structure, goal rigor, the alignment between the committee's stated philosophy and what the numbers show.
Executive Compensation Report — $1,500Board and governance analysis
Committee composition, independence, director pay positioning, and the governance provisions read together rather than listed.
Board Governance Report — $1,200Realizable pay
What the awards above are actually worth today against what they were valued at on grant, and what the gap says about the pay-for-performance link.
Velarion IntelligenceAdviser switching and vote outcomes
Two datasets covering compensation-adviser changes and what followed a contested vote. Both are part of the Velarion platform.
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Velarion IntelligenceCitations
Every figure on this page is cited to the document that reported it. Select any figure to see its citation.
347 figures on this page: 336 cited to the filing that reported them, 11 calculated from figures it prints.
336 cited to the filing
11 calculated from the filing
Documents cited
- 0001332349-26-000052
- 0001193125-26-197412Director Compensation · Director Compensation for 2025 · Grants of Plan-Based Awards · Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End · and 2 more sections
- 0001332349-25-000120Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001193125-25-119876Summary Compensation Table for 2024
- 0001332349-24-000084Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001193125-24-122392Summary Compensation Table for 2023
- 0001332349-23-000082
- 0001193125-23-130485Summary Compensation Table for 2022
- 0001332349-22-000065Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001332349-21-000067Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001332349-20-000096Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001332349-19-000109Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001332349-18-000139Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001332349-17-000059Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
- 0001332349-16-000089Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
Cite this data
This page is free to cite. Attribution we ask for:
Velarion, “Brookdale Senior Living executive compensation, FY2022–FY2025.” https://intel.velarion.ai/comp/BKD (accessed 2026).
Short form: data: Velarion
The paid brief for Brookdale Senior Living
Positioning against its disclosed peers, the governance read, incentive design, and the CD&A alignment analysis; the full peer table; a committee-ready PDF.
From $1,200 for the board report; $2,400 for both.
15 filings cited on this page
Method: intel.velarion.ai/methodology
A report that fails to generate is refunded in full
Published by Velarion Company Intelligence
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Peers Brookdale Senior Living discloses
The companies named in BKD's own disclosed peer group.
Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc.Aveanna Healthcare Holdings Inc.Bloomin Brands, Inc.Brinker International, Inc.Chemed CorporationCommunity Health Systems, Inc.Encompass Health CorporationHyatt Hotels CorporationNational Healthcare CorporationPediatrix Medical Group, Inc.Quest Diagnostics IncorporatedSelect Medical Holdings CorporationSurgery Partners, Inc.The Ensign Group, Inc.Universal Health Services, Inc.Welltower Inc.Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.
Terms on this page
Free to read and cite. Redistribution or bulk use of the dataset requires a data license. Talk to us about the data license.
Cite this data
APA
Velarion Company Intelligence. (2026). Velarion database: executive and board compensation data (Version 2026Q3) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22283854
BibTeX
@misc{velarionData2026,
author = {{Velarion Company Intelligence}},
title = {Velarion database: executive and board compensation data},
year = {2026},
version = {2026Q3},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.22283854},
publisher = {Zenodo},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22283854}
}