In this episode of Servant Leader’s Library, host Nicholas Paulukow sits down with Robin Stauffer, Executive Director of the High Foundation, to explore what it means to lead with purpose and service. With decades of experience and a front-row seat to one of Lancaster’s most impactful philanthropic transitions, Robin shares how values like stewardship, equity, and humility shape her leadership. It’s a candid conversation about legacy, boldness, and building community that lasts.
Episode Transcript
Nicholas Paulukow
So welcome back, Servant Leader’s Library, the only podcast where we check our egos at the door, stock the shelves with wisdom, and dust off the blueprints of Servant Leadership one conversation at a time.
I’m your host, Nicholas Paulukow, the CEO by day, podcast host, I guess, also by day. And I have a guest who doesn’t just talk about community impact — she lives it. Joining me is the powerhouse of purpose herself, Robin Stauffer, the Executive Director of High Foundation.
That’s right. She’s the woman behind one of the most mission-driven organizations in Lancaster County, and frankly, one of the biggest hearts in the room. Robin’s been part of the High family for 30 years, which means she’s basically Lancaster County royalty at this point.
Since 2005, she’s been leading the High Foundation with a laser focus on improving lives — not just in Lancaster County, but in every community. So grab a cup of coffee, get comfy, and prepare to hear how decades of service, strategy, and a sprinkle of sass have shaped Robin’s journey and what it really means to lead with heart, humility, and a heck of a lot of hustle.
So let’s open the cover on this chapter of Servant Leader’s Library with a warm welcome to Robin. Welcome, Robin. Thank you for coming today.
We help leadership teams build more resilient IT foundations. Curious what that looks like?
Robin Stauffer
What a kind introduction. Thank you.
Nicholas Paulukow
You’ve done some great, great things. Well, why don’t you do an intro for yourself?
Robin Stauffer
Oh, wow. Okay. Well, as you mentioned, I’ve been with the High organization for over 30 years. I started actually on the corporate side of the business. I was in the C-suite for quite a few years.
Back in 2005, when I was appointed Executive Director of the High Foundation, that was one of many hats that I wore. The High Foundation was quite different at that time, and there came a point in my career where I remember distinctly having a conversation with Dale High, who I had worked with for many years.
He said to me, “You know, it’s probably time for you to think about which direction you want to go,” meaning — do you want to follow the corporate path or the family office and foundation path?
Nicholas Paulukow
I see. Okay.
Robin Stauffer
It was a time that he was transitioning in his career and leadership. We were thinking about formalizing the family office, which of course included the High Foundation. And so I was given the opportunity to follow the path of the family office and the foundation.
And quite a bit has changed since that moment.
Nicholas Paulukow
Absolutely has. For those who may not know, can you explain “family office” a little more?
Robin Stauffer
Sure. The High companies are a privately held group of companies and for many years were owned by the High family. The family office was the support for that ownership structure. It’s where a lot of decisions were made — where dollars were invested, decisions about startups, all that sort of thing.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s pretty neat. So how did you get introduced to the High family of companies many years ago?
Robin Stauffer
I started as an accounting clerk.
Nicholas Paulukow
Did you really? Wow.
Robin Stauffer
Yes, many years ago. And two years in, I was invited to be the assistant to the CFO of the High companies. That was when I transitioned into the C-suite.
This was in the late ’80s — a time when there was a lot of growth happening. Dale High was leading much of that at the time. So I got to know the family pretty quickly, and the rest is history.
Nicholas Paulukow
Wow, that’s amazing.
Robin Stauffer
Yeah.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s a big career move so quickly. What do you think made that path happen for you? You talk about Dale quite a bit — what do you think he saw in you? And what did you see in yourself at the time?
Robin Stauffer
That’s an interesting question. I always had a pretty positive attitude, and I was open to new challenges and opportunities. As they presented themselves, I always stepped in and did my best. I tried to be prepared for those moments — and kept preparing myself.
When I started, I didn’t have my undergrad degree. I finished my undergrad while working at the High companies and just continued to grow and get ready for whatever was next.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s great. That’s amazing. And we talk a lot here on the podcast about servant leadership, right? What would you define that to be for yourself? And from what I understand about the High companies, it’s very much about serving. Could you explain a little bit about your experience there?
Robin Stauffer
Sure. Absolutely. I’d love to.
Servant leadership is very much a value of the High family. And certainly, it’s a value now of the High Foundation as well. If you visited our website, you probably saw it listed there.
It’s always been something we’ve aspired to, and it’s been very meaningful for us. Our guiding principle since the ownership transition occurred — and I can speak to that a little later — is a quote by Dale that says:
“We are on this earth for a purpose that is larger than our own self-interest, and we must do what we can to give back to the community.”
So servant leadership is one of our core values. We’re here to serve others and to be a support to others.
Nicholas Paulukow
I love that word — purpose. Last year, I centered most of my time around that idea: What is our purpose? Why do we exist?
It’s interesting that that comes up in your conversation. What do you believe your organization’s purpose is? Is it to serve? Or is there a deeper meaning?
Robin Stauffer
For the High Foundation?
Nicholas Paulukow
Yes.
Robin Stauffer
Well, servant leadership is certainly one of our values. Another is stewardship.
When we think about Dale’s generosity and the gifts that we’ve been given — ownership in the High companies — stewarding that into the future for the next generations and our community is a value we feel strongly about.
We also emphasize being bold in our approach and being innovative. We talk about optimism in our work, and we believe strongly in equity — that everyone should have a fair chance in this world.
Those are the values we’ve most recently defined, but they’ve always been present in the work.
Nicholas Paulukow
You mentioned earlier that a lot has changed since you started. What did you mean by that? Has the community changed, or has your approach evolved? Could you explain that a bit?
Robin Stauffer
Yes. The Foundation was formed in 1980 by Sanford High, the founder of the High companies, and his two sons, Calvin and Dale.
Over the years it’s evolved, and more recently, it has become the philanthropic vehicle for the Estelle High Family.
Nicholas Paulukow
Okay.
Robin Stauffer
As part of his estate and succession plan, Dale chose to transfer his ownership in the High companies to the High Foundation.
Nicholas Paulukow
Wow.
Robin Stauffer
We completed that in late 2023. The process had been ongoing for a number of years. As you can imagine, it’s a huge transition for the organization.
A lot of work and preparation went into it — strengthening our governance structure, for example. Previously, the board only included High family members. We’ve since added outside trustees and implemented a committee structure.
We’ve also expanded our team to prepare for growth. We’ve been working hard to get ready for this moment — and we’re still in the midst of the transition.
Nicholas Paulukow
Okay.
Robin Stauffer
There are still a lot of things we’re trying to put in place to ensure we live out Dale’s vision for the next chapter of the High Foundation.
Nicholas Paulukow
What would you say has been one of the biggest challenges for you? That’s a lot to carry — someone’s vision, and also the financial responsibility. How do you carry that day-to-day?
Robin Stauffer
Well, I’ve worked with the family and with Dale for many years, so I have a good sense of their value system. We’ve talked a lot over the years about his vision and what he’d like to see happen.
He created a donor intent document that clearly lays out the path he’d like us to follow.
Right now, we’re building the team, strengthening governance, and putting policies and procedures in place to ensure we have solid operations.
Nicholas Paulukow
You’re getting there, yeah.
Robin Stauffer
Exactly.
Nicholas Paulukow
It’s got to be a challenge, right? The good work you want to do — it’s something many people want. So when you put governance into place, how do you manage the challenge of needing to help so many people? Has Dale defined the specific areas he wants to focus on?
Robin Stauffer
Yes, he has. He was very clear about that. He didn’t just want to scale grantmaking — although that remains foundational for us.
He wanted us to identify areas where we could truly make an impact — where we could bring not only our resources and expertise, but also the resources and expertise of the High companies.
The two areas we’ve identified are the environment and housing. These are what we call our “high impact” focus areas. We recently hired a Director of High Impact to lead that work.
We’re now pursuing several projects in those areas. So, while grantmaking continues to be essential — providing safety net services for the communities where High companies operate — this high impact work is new and allows us to take a leadership role and invest more deeply.
Nicholas Paulukow
Wow, that’s amazing.
Nicholas Paulukow
What a vision — going back to the 1980s and continuing it through to today. What a leader, to have such long-term foresight. That’s amazing.
Robin Stauffer
Yeah.
Nicholas Paulukow
He’s always been visionary, huh?
Robin Stauffer
He really has. For all of us who work with him, it’s really just a matter of keeping up with him.
Nicholas Paulukow
And clarity around that vision, too.
Robin Stauffer
Exactly. But it’s been very rewarding, and I’m so grateful to be in the seat of Executive Director at this time. It’s really amazing.
Nicholas Paulukow
How do you balance the organizational side of your work with your heart? There’s clearly governance and structure, but I imagine you also receive a lot of requests. Now that you have these new guidelines, how do you and your team balance it all?
Robin Stauffer
Good question. Just to give you context: prior to the ownership transition, we would receive maybe 30 to 40, sometimes 50 applications a year.
Nicholas Paulukow
Wow.
Robin Stauffer
We have one grant cycle per year.
Nicholas Paulukow
Okay.
Robin Stauffer
In our most recent cycle, post-transition, we received over 170 applications. So, as you can imagine, there’s a lot of due diligence — reviewing all the information to ensure we’re making the best decisions.
One of the committees we added to the board is a Grants & Program Committee.
Nicholas Paulukow
Okay.
Robin Stauffer
They’re now part of the review process. Of course, we also sit down with Dale to get his thoughts on the applications. One of our newest team members is a Grants Manager, who handles the management and processing of the applications, as well as a lot of communication around them.
Again, we’re putting processes in place to be thorough and responsive to the growing volume.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s important. I heard something from an Executive Director the other day that stuck with me. She said, “We really appreciate donations — but we really appreciate when someone helps us solve a root problem.”
Robin Stauffer
Yes.
Nicholas Paulukow
She said, in people’s journeys, they might have time, money, or talent to give — but what truly helps is when someone helps you solve a systemic issue.
Robin Stauffer
Absolutely. We often say we’re focused on addressing issues at a systemic level. Our goal is to create real impact — to move the needle in key areas and trend things in the right direction.
Nicholas Paulukow
In business, we always try to measure success. How do you measure whether you’ve created the kind of impact you’re aiming for? How do you know the decisions you’ve made this year are helping you fulfill Dale’s vision?
Robin Stauffer
Great question — and we’re right in the midst of that right now.
Nicholas Paulukow
Okay.
Robin Stauffer
When the transition occurred, we worked with our board to develop a new strategic plan. One of our goals was to begin measuring the impact we’re making, particularly in our high impact areas — the environment and housing.
We’re just beginning that work now with outside experts, asking: What does meaningful measurement look like for us as the High Foundation?
It’s about balancing community indicators with tangible metrics that reflect our own contributions.
Nicholas Paulukow
Got it.
Robin Stauffer
We’re going to start with housing because there’s a lot of supporting data in that space. But this is just the beginning — and we’re excited to see where it takes us.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s amazing. I recently had the opportunity to interview the Executive Director of the YMCA and didn’t realize how much work they do around community housing and homelessness — especially in Lancaster.
Robin Stauffer
Yeah.
Nicholas Paulukow
I never knew that was part of their mission. It’s incredible how much impact they have on the community, but it’s not always visible. Housing really is such a critical need.
Robin Stauffer
Absolutely. There are a lot of great organizations doing good work in the housing space. And if you think about it, housing is really a continuum — from crisis housing all the way through to affordable and market-rate housing.
Nicholas Paulukow
Right.
Robin Stauffer
Our focus is really on that affordable and workforce housing space. That’s where we’re leaning in.
Nicholas Paulukow
There’s still such a huge need.
Robin Stauffer
Yeah, we’re so far behind. There’s been great collaboration — HDC, for example, has partnered with other nonprofits on projects. But the need is still enormous.
Nicholas Paulukow
It really is. And we have such a unique community here in Lancaster. When I travel and talk to people, they’re always amazed at what our community is able to accomplish. It’s a rare blend of generosity and long-term sustainability.
Robin Stauffer
Lancaster Habitat for Humanity is another great example. Chestnut Housing. Tenfold works a little more in the crisis and transitional space. There are just so many organizations doing incredible work — and yet, the need persists.
Nicholas Paulukow
It’s amazing. I want to ask: From a foundation standpoint, and being part of the High companies ecosystem, do employees also have a chance to participate or impact the work of the foundation? How does that integration work?
Robin Stauffer
I’m actually a co-worker of the High Foundation — no longer under the umbrella of the High companies — but we work closely with them.
We communicate regularly about our work, because the profits from the High companies are what fund the foundation. So it’s a very close relationship.
We also try to engage the High companies’ co-workers and encourage volunteerism. During the ownership transition, we invited each co-worker to direct a $100 donation to a nonprofit of their choice from a list of organizations we support.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s really neat.
Robin Stauffer
We did that twice. The first time, the total giving directed by co-workers was over $150,000. The second time, it exceeded $165,000.
It was a way for us to invite participation, give co-workers a sense of ownership, and help them feel part of the mission.
Nicholas Paulukow
That’s powerful. Well, Robin, thank you for all that you do — and for spending time with us today. This was such a meaningful conversation. You’re doing incredible work, and we appreciate you sharing your story.
Robin Stauffer
Thank you, Nicholas. I really appreciate being here.
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