United Methodist Family Services gets new chief

Nancy Toscano is statewide nonprofit’s first female president, CEO

Published April 20, 2021 by Jason Roop

Nancy Toscano has become president and CEO of United Methodist Family Services (UMFS), a 121-year-old nonprofit statewide provider of social services programs for high-risk children and parents.

Promoted from chief operating officer, Toscano succeeds Greg Peters, who is retiring after more than 20 years leading the Richmond-based nonprofit.

Toscano, who was named to the role in October, will be the nonprofit’s first female president and CEO. A New York native, she spent part of her career overseas and opened a school for youth with autism in Malaysia. She’s held leadership roles at UMFS and its Charterhouse School for nearly 14 years and was named COO in 2018.

Toscano is a graduate of Siena College and holds a master’s degree in social work from New York University and a Ph.D. in public policy and administration with a concentration in nonprofit leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University.

“As the agency moves forward and takes on new and increasingly complex challenges, we will be well-served by Nancy’s strategic thinking, organizational skills and the values she brings to the job every day,” Mike Giancaspro, chairman of the UMFS board, said in a statement.

In a statement, UMFS also lauded Peters for transforming a local foster care services organization into a statewide provider of 18 social service programs helping 13,775 children, teenagers and family members.

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