Report: Pat Haden, relatives earned $2.4M in part-time role for charity

OutgoingSouthern Californiaathletic director Pat Haden, his daughter and his sister-in-law have earned close to a total of $2.4 million for servingthe George Henry Mayr Foundation -- a charitable foundation that funds scholarships -- in a part-time role, even as that organization's contributions have fallen to all-time lows, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

The Times' investigation, citing the foundation's federal tax returns from 1999 to 2014, found that Haden, his daughter Natalie O'Connor and his sister-in-law Catherine Grier Olson had part-time roles that involved as little as one hour of work per week.

Haden is stepping down at athletic director at USC, effective June 30, and he will start a one-year job guiding the renovation of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum after he retires.

Half of the money, about $1.2 million, went to the 63-year-old Haden, who became board chairman of the Mayr Foundation in 1999, the Times reported. His annual board fees have been as high as $84,000; the foundation paid him $72,725 in 2014, which is considered a large number for foundations paying themselves.

The Times reported that Olson, 59, has made more than $750,000 since 2000 for serving as a foundation director. The 37-year-old O'Connor, meanwhile, received close to $470,000 since 2005 for serving as either a "director," "director/secretary" or administrative worker, according to the tax records obtained by the Times.

According to the Times, the three were paid a combined $244,000 in 2014, while scholarships awarded by the Mayr Foundation to needy students to California universities fell to $645,000 despite the organization's market value of $25 million. In 2008, the foundation awarded $1.1 million in scholarships.

A spokesman for Haden defended his compensation to the Times, while O'Connor and Olson did not respond to interview requests.