Stephanie Schaeffer

Stephanie Schaeffer has been vice president and chief legal officer at Paychex since 2006. She was named corporate secretary in 2011 and chief ethics officer in 2019. As Paychex grows and changes to meet new regulatory and market demands, Schaeffer strives to protect the company and ensure it acts as a responsible corporate citizen. She leads a team of lawyers and professionals accountable for all Paychex legal functions, partners with other members of the executive team to develop and execute corporate strategies for growth and maximization of shareholder value, and develops and manages the Paychex legal department. Schaeffer points to Paychex being consistently recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute as evidence that the company’s culture drives its success.

Schaeffer joined Paychex in 2000 as corporate counsel and was appointed director of legal affairs in 2004. She was named one of Rochester’s “Forty Under 40” by the Rochester Business Journal in 2008, and she won the Daily Record’s Top Counsel award in 2012. She was named a “Trailblazer in Diversity and ESG” by Diligent at the 2022 Modern Governance Summit. Most recently, she was named as a finalist for the ATHENA International Award in 2024. She earned a certification in executive management from the University of Notre Dame in 2014. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in government and international relations and a Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame. She was admitted to the New York State Bar in August 1995.

Schaeffer is currently serving on the Board of Directors of United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes and is a member of its Women’s Leadership Council. She also currently serves on the Board of Directors for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester and is Immediate Past President and a member of the Honorary Board of Directors for Catholic Charities Family and Community Services. Additionally, she’s a founding member of the Paychex Charitable Foundation and Paychex Corporate Social Responsibility/ESG steering committees.