Introducing COO Maura Snyder: A Quarter Century in Health Care Administration

Working in a veterinarian hospital and interning in a multispecialty practice piqued Maura Snyder’s interest in a career in health care administration — a career that has now spanned more than 25 years.

Highland Hospital’s new Chief Operating Officer first saw the importance of patient care and the innerworkings of the business side of health care, working with a variety of “animal patients.” Her education in the connection between patient care and health care business further developed through a college internship at a multispecialty medical practice in Meadville, Pa.

The Pittsburgh, Pa. native credits several mentors with encouraging her to pursue a health care administration career. “I learned early on that health care extends beyond the walls of a hospital,” Snyder said. “I was lucky to have mentors who gave me the opportunity to see both the care side and the business side of health care.

Following a move from Pennsylvania to Rochester in the late 1990s, Snyder took on positions at Clifton Springs Hospital & Clinic. Her first job was serving as Medical Staff/Credentials Coordinator, and she moved up through the years to Vice President of Operations of Clifton Springs Hospital and Newark-Wayne Community Hospital.

Under her leadership as Senior Director of Operations, Clifton Springs was awarded a $25.5 million transformational grant to develop the Clifton Springs Medical Village. This center brought together multiple specialties in one location, including the emergency department, operating rooms, outpatient endoscopy, dermatology, CPEP and outpatient practices. While serving as Program Director for Clifton Springs’ Center for Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine/Healogics, Snyder was recognized with the HANYS Pinnacle Award for Quality for demonstrating significant and impactful improvements in quality and patient safety.

In between the Program Director and Senior Director of Operations roles, Snyder transitioned to Strong Memorial Hospital, where she served as Program Director of the Strong Wound Healing Center/Healogics.

Prior to becoming Highland’s COO, Snyder was Associate Chief Operating Officer at Rochester General Hospital, responsible for developing and fostering collaboration between clinical departments, support services, service lines and medical-staff leadership.

A spirit of collaboration is what brought Snyder to Highland. “The people drew me here,” she said. “I know many people who worked at Highland, and every one of them always talked about how special it is here. You definitely feel the culture of respect and teamwork when you walk through the doors.”

As COO, Snyder plans to build on this collaborative culture by focusing on the people, expanding and retaining the workforce, continuing to drive quality and achieving financial stability for the future.

“We face challenges, but our people have put us in position to overcome them and to be successful,” she added.

 

3/3/2025