Leaders of the nonprofit, state-subsidized Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy today defended the decision to award the executive director a $20,000 raise on top of her $165,000 salary.

Nancy Brennan, the executive director, said the board made its decision based on her training and performance. She said she was grateful for her job, for “every dollar in my paycheck and I try to earn it.”

Brennan is eligible for bonuses under her contract but her salary had held steady at $165,000 for two years, Georgia Murray, chairwoman of the board of directors, said today in an interview. The raise was approved by the board in the fall, and the state was aware of it, since the state has a non-voting member on the board, she said.

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The state Department of Transportation – which supports nearly half of the greenway’s budget - this week demanded current salary and finance information from the private organization, after the conservancy declined to give the Boston Herald its latest salary information.

Among the documents released by the conservancy Thursday night were a letter signed by Murray and dated Oct. 4, saying that the executive board had voted to increase her salary to $185,000 this year, retroactive to July 1. Murray said the raise was delayed for years due to the economic recession – and then pushed back from the summer because board members were on vacation.

“Having said that, we felt it only fair that the compensation go up a bit – not that $20,000 isn’t real money. It is. But compared to her peers, she is not highly paid. And she is highly respected,” said Murray. “She hadn’t had a salary increase since she started. So $20,000 over the four to five years just didn’t seem like a lot.”

The state has agreed to pay half the cost to maintain the parkland that runs through downtown over the Central Artery highway tunnels, but its contribution has been dwindling throughout the recession. The conservancy, which also relies on philanthropic donations, is requesting a business improvement district that would create a voluntary tax on businesses.

The conservancy also revealed Thursday that four other Greenway officials receive six-figure salaries.

They are Steve Anderson, director of park operations, who makes $111,437; Linda Jonash, director of planning and design, $101,614; Jesse Brackenbury, director of business operations, $137,456; and Jodi Wolin, director of development, $117,000.

“We have a policy of transparency at the conservancy, so we’re a little surprised at all this,’’ Murray said Thursday about the records flap. “Everybody has the right to ask questions. We’re trying very much to be open.’’

Murray said that as a nonprofit, the group is not subject to the same public records rules, but posts its audits and tax information on its website.

She generally defended the salaries on Thursday, saying, “They are not too high.”

Travis Andersen of the Globe staff contributed to this report.