Lavish Spending at GLAAD: A Closer Look
On a chilly January morning in 2023, a light drizzle fell at Zurich airport as Sarah Kate Ellis made her way from her seat in Delta’s premier cabin to a luxurious waiting Mercedes. This vehicle was set to transport her to the breathtaking Swiss Alps, where she and her colleagues would reside in the Tivoli Lodge, an opulent seven-bedroom chalet that commanded nearly half a million dollars for a week’s rental.
Ms. Ellis, the chief executive of the nonprofit organization GLAAD, was not a corporate mogul or a tech-savvy entrepreneur; rather, she led one of the foremost advocacy groups for the L.G.B.T.Q. community in the United States. With an annual budget nearing $30 million, GLAAD financed Ms. Ellis’s trip, which included a day of skiing, as revealed by internal documents reviewed by The New York Times, along with interviews conducted with current and former employees and others familiar with GLAAD’s operations.
This trip exemplified a broader pattern of extravagant spending at GLAAD, much of which was attributed to Ms. Ellis. Such expenditures may have breached not only the organization’s internal policies but also regulations set forth by the Internal Revenue Service. A thorough examination of numerous GLAAD expense reports and accompanying receipts from January 2022 through June 2023, alongside employment agreements, tax filings, audit reports, and internal communications, unveiled a troubling trend.
During her work-related travels, Ms. Ellis frequently utilized first-class flights, enjoyed stays at prestigious hotels like the Waldorf Astoria, and engaged in high-end car services. The opulence extended to personal indulgences as well, including a summer rental on Cape Cod and a staggering $20,000 spent on remodeling her home office, which was lavishly adorned with a chandelier and other luxurious furnishings.
