The University of Massachusetts system accounted for the top 10 highest-paid state employees, with administration and athletics personnel making up the majority of positions. Look for more reports all month.
UMass Amherst Men’s Basketball Coach Frank Martin
Martin was the highest-paid state employee with $2,180,000 in total take-home pay. Of that total, Martin made $925,000 in other pay on top of his $1,250,000 base salary. In his fourth year leading the team, Martin has led the Minutemen to a 9-5 record so far this season, following a lackluster 12-20 record in 2024.
Chancellor of UMass Chan Medical School Dr. Michael Collins
Dr. Collins ranks second on the list with a total take-home pay of $1,570,000 in 2025, which included a $1,040,000 base salary and $536,000 in other pay. Collins is the longest-serving chancellor in the history of the UMAss system, first being appointed in 2008 after serving for a year in an interim capacity. He is also the Senior Vice-President for Health Sciences at UMass.
UMass Head Football Coach Joe Harasymiak
Coach Harasymiak took home a total of $1,410,000 in 2025, including $260,000 in other pay on top of a base salary of $1,150,000. But, UMass doesn’t seem to be paying for much success. The third-highest paid state employee delivered a last-place finish for the Minutemen in the Mid-Atlantic Conference with a 6-12 record this past season.
Provost and Executive Deputy Chancellor at UMass Chan Medical School Terence Flotte
Dr. Flotte was paid a total of $1,180,000 in 2025, placing him as the fourth-highest paid Massachusetts employee. Flotte joined the Medical School in 2007 from the University of Florida, where he was the Nemours Eminent Scholar and chair of the Department of Pediatrics for the College of Medicine, according to the UMass senior leadership page.
Executive Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Business Development at UMass Chan Medical School Partha Chakrabarti
Chakrabarti is the final state employee on the list to take home over $1 million dollars in total pay. He made a base salary of $690,129 in 2025 with an additional $316,928 in other pay. Chakrabarti has held a series of global business leadership roles in Fortune 500 companies and was among senior leadership at Boston’s Vertex Pharmaceuticals before joining the UMass system.
UMass Athletic Director Ryan Bramford
Bramford was the sixth-highest paid state employee at $912,226, which includes his $712,226 base pay and an extra $200,000 in other pay. Hired in 2015, UMass sports have seen limited success under Bramford’s leadership.
UMass President Marty Meehan
Meehan brought home $879,454 in total pay on a base pay of $735,621 and $143,833 in other pay in 2025, making him the seventh highest paid state employee. Meehan was appointed President of the UMass system in 2015 after serving as Chancellor of UMass Lowell since 2007. Before joining UMass, the Democratic former Congressman served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993-2007, representing the state’s fifth congressional district.
Executive Vice Chancellor of Forhealth Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School Lisa Colombo
Colombo brought in $821,872 in her role as Executive Vice Chancellor with a $641,872 base salary and $180,000 in other pay. Colombo has also held additional executive roles within the UMass Memorial Health Care system.
UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes
Reyes made $731,684 in total pay in 2025, leading the flagship campus of the UMass system, becoming the first Hispanic to do so. Reyes made a base salary of $624,852 with $106,832 in other pay. Reyes has faced blowback from student groups and activists since he was appointed in 2023 for ordering the arrests of unruly anti-Israel protesters. In 2024, the UMass Student Government Association delivered a vote of no confidence after he deployed Massachusetts State Police to remove an unauthorized encampment erected by anti-Israel protesters, resulting in hundreds of arrests.
Former Head Football Coach Donald Brown
Coach Brown isn’t even working for UMass or any other state entity anymore, but was still paid $705,440 in 2025, making him the tenth-highest paid state employee. Brown was fired in 2024 after amassing a disappointing 6-28 record over three seasons.
Top-Paid Employees Not Affiliated with UMass
The University of Massachusetts system, incredibly, makes up for the top 61 earners across the entire state, outpacing elected officials and all other departments. The highest paid non-UMass affiliated employee in 2025 was Medical Director of the Veterans’ Home in Chelsea Jed Barash, who made $416,103 in total pay. Barash was paid a base salary of $325,435, brought in $88,500 in overtime and made an additional $1,169 in other pay.
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