Meet Lloyd Theiss, Our Director

Lloyd Theiss, Executive Director of The Highlands at Pittsford since 2006

From an undeveloped 52-acres to a scenic, sprawling campus, The Highlands at Pittsford has become the Rochester area’s premier senior living community. Now, with its first quarter-century in the books, there is much to celebrate about its past, enjoy in its present, and anticipate for its future.

In the 25 years since The Highlands welcomed its first residents, we have always worked as a community, for the community. It is this harmony that has led to our past successes and will allow us to continue to provide the highest quality services and amenities for generations of seniors to come.

The Highlands at Pittsford has always been a leader in senior living. In the early 1990s, Highland Hospital brought to Rochester the then novel concept of offering seniors a congregate living environment that provided various levels of support and care all on one campus. Today, under the much bigger umbrella of the University of Rochester, The Highlands continues to lead the way. In keeping with the University’s motto of “Meliora”, we are Always changing to Better our community.

Our affiliation with the University of Rochester has positioned us as the only university-affiliated retirement community in Rochester. The University connection enriches the lives of our residents through an array of educational opportunities as well as a seamless connection to its world-class academic health care system. Our residents benefit from access to some of the area’s finest educational and cultural offerings, including fascinating on-site lectures and discussions led by university faculty. The University’s ties to the Eastman School of Music and the Memorial Art Gallery offer additional enrichment opportunities. In addition, we have the outstanding guidance and support from University of Rochester senior management and a diverse and accomplished Board of Directors.

2020 marks my 14th year with The Highlands and I am very fortunate, and could not be more proud, to be part of this unique community. There is an intrinsic reward I get from working here. I love the residents and the staff. Out of 70 full-time employees, the average tenure with the Highlands is 9 years and a number of our staff members have been here for their entire career. We have many residents who have lived here for a decade or two.

I’ve been asked why I do what I do, such as coming in on a weekend to shovel sidewalks after one of our Rochester snowstorms, helping to plant vegetables in the community garden, or hanging outdoor Christmas lights. The answer is that these tendencies are simply in my nature. My parents are no longer living and I think of the residents as my family. I understand this generation and have a great deal of respect for them. They have worked hard throughout their lives and deserve the very best in their retirement years.

The future is indeed bright at The Highlands at Pittsford, where we’ve set the bar for senior living and we continue to raise the standard.