17. James D. Taiclet Jr.
Company: American Tower Corp.

2011 compensation: $8,941,980
2010 compensation: $6,206,126

American Tower, a Boston-based operator of mobile phone towers, currently owns and operates about 40,000 communications sites in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, India, Mexico, Peru, and South Africa, according to its website. Taiclet became chief executive in October 2003.