Two UMA Leaders to Make Outstanding Transitions

After more than 40 years of dedicated service, Greg Peters, President and CEO of UMFS, has announced that he is moving on to the next chapter in life as he prepares to retire on April 2, 2021. A nationally recognized leader, Greg has fulfilled an important leadership role with UMA, serving on the Board of Directors from 2014 to 2020, and as Chair from Fall of 2016 to Spring of 2018.

“I am grateful for Greg’s dedicated commitment of service to UMA during his tenure on the Board,” said UMA President Mary Kemper. “We are a stronger association as a result of his leadership.”

Greg began his career at UMFS in 1980 and was named President and CEO in 2000. He started the UMFS Treatment Foster Care program shortly after finishing graduate school, and later opened the first regional center in Tidewater, VA. He’s been instrumental in the development and implementation of a Master Plan that will allow UMFS to continue to meet the changing needs of youth and families well into the future. During Greg’s tenure, UMFS has become a nationally respected leader in child and family services.

Over the last several years, UMFS worked to create a succession plan that aligned with their Strategic Plan. It became increasingly clear to leadership that Chief Operating Officer Nancy Toscano, Ph.D., LCSW, possessed values that align with the UMFS mission, with professional qualifications that exceeded the requirements to succeed Greg as President and CEO.

Nancy, who serves on the UMA Board of Directors, has invested 25 years in health and human services and is a lifelong learner with undergraduate and graduate degrees in social work, a doctorate in public policy and administration, and certifications from the Medical College of Virginia and University of Michigan.

Before joining UMFS in 2005, Nancy worked with youth and families in New York, California, as well as in England and Malaysia. She has extensive experience in organizational behavior and culture, metrics analysis, and strategic thinking. Nancy played a key leadership role in Virginia’s implementation of the Family First Preservation Services Act. In 2018, she was invited by Virginia’s Office of Children’s Services and the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to provide strategic planning facilitation for the State Executive Council. Nancy is currently serving in her first term as a member of UMA’s Board of Directors.

“UMA has benefited greatly from the expertise and guidance of these two outstanding individuals. The UMA staff, board, and our members and partners feel privileged to work with both Greg and Nancy and are enormously grateful to them for their many contributions,” says Mary Kemper, President and CEO. “We are pleased to extend our best wishes to Greg on his well-deserved retirement, and at the same time, offer our well wishes and warmest welcome to Nancy in her future role as UMFS’s President and CEO.”