Dr. James Toscano Email & Phone Number

Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States

We Are the 757's High Profile Problem Solvers.A doctor of law and policy, James Toscano handles client reputation management including crisis communications, and news and social media strategy.Dr. Toscano has been the head of communications and policy in three organizations, one national and two large Virginia organizations. As a spokesperson, Toscano's commentary has been featured in USA Today, Washington Post, CNBC, People.com and throughout local and statewide Virginia media outlets. He has been a trusted strategist and advisor in crisis situations, including politicians and other public officials, as well as business leaders. When Norfolk light rail was over budget and under federal investigation, Toscano was promoted to the agency's senior executive team "to right the agency and complete light rail construction after problems surfaced. 'He helped it emerge from difficult times, especially in communications, public information and transparency,'" said the agency's CEO.He led the development of Mission 31/90, a public relations campaign targeted at restoring public trust in the agency by addressing 31 audit recommendations in 90 days, reporting progress through a public dashboard and news media briefings. Dr. Toscano has also been an agent of bipartisan public policy change as an advocate and a registered lobbyist who started his career as a legislative staffer in the Virginia General Assembly. He went on to serve in multiple policy board appointments under multiple Virginia governors. As a social media strategist, Toscano has been a leader in guiding organizations into this "brave new world." As a consultant, he trained public school officials in a major U.S. city on how to adopt social media effectively and made policy recommendations. His combination of scholarship and practical advice has been published in scholarly works as well as Government Technology, Governing, and Public Management magazine.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Dr. James Toscano is a national leader on the issue of college affordability. He currently serves on the PCAPT Board of Directors and also as Senior Advisor. He was the founding president of the organization - a role he served in for more than four years. With a career that spans both public policy and higher education, Toscano brings a practitioner’s perspective to bear on both the challenge--and opportunity--of transforming institutions of higher education.An advocate for elevating the consumer voice in public decision making, Toscano’s passion took root as a student when he served on his university’s board of trustees under a new state law. Since that time, he’s been a leading voice on opening up public governing boards to stakeholder input via traditional public participation and digital methods. Toscano started his career as a legislative staffer in the Virginia General Assembly and has held various policy board appointments under two former Virginia governors; in 2018 he served on the Higher Education Policy Commission during the transition of Virginia's governor-elect.Toscano’s commentary and research can be found in PEOPLE.com, CNBC, The Washington Post, Hechinger Report, Education Dive, GOVERNING, Government Technology, Public Management magazine, The Conversation, and opinion pages throughout Virginia.And he is a proud first generation college graduate.

Norfolk, Virginia Area

Served as part of the president's cabinet at one of the largest community college's in the country. Was an internal change agent and an external ambassador for the college. Responsibilities included: Strategic Communications, Fundraising & Foundation, Government Relations, Marketing, Grants and Sponsored Programs, Safety & Security, Emergency Preparedness, and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) compliance. I oversaw approximately 50 employees and multi-million dollar budgets.I was the visionary and creator of TCC's STEM Promise Program, a privately funded program that seeks to boost the number of women and minorities in high-demand STEM fields through full scholarships.

Norfolk, Virginia Area

The first-ever gubernatorial appointee and youngest to chair the Commission, James represented the citizens of the Commonwealth for a four-year term. James was appointed by Governor McDonnell. The Commission is the governing body of Hampton Roads Transit which provides bus, light rail, and ferry services in southeast Virginia with a $100 million budget.During his tenure, James focused on core business improvements and transparency. He led the Commission in the development of a CEO performance evaluation policy and a public participation policy that expanded citizen comment opportunities including social media. James was also instrumental in the hiring of an internal auditor to report to the Commission. In collaboration with the CEO, the board oversaw administrative cost savings measures that helped restore investments in the agency's capital assets; the Connect Hampton Roads initiative was launched, a long term service planning and citizen engagement effort that seeks to significantly improve public transportation in the Hampton Roads region.

James Toscano served as Vice President for Public Affairs and Communication and Chief Communications Officer, both as a member of the Senior Executive Team at HRT. His responsibilities included the departments of Communications, Community and Government Relations, Marketing, and Customer Service. James was hired by HRT in May 2005 as Director of Government and Media Relations. In 2010, James was appointed by Governor Bob McDonnell to the Public Transit Seat on the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities.

Richmond, Virginia Area

84th District of Virginia

James was a Governor’s Fellow under Governor Mark R. Warner, working alongside the Secretary of Technology to promote Virginia’s technology industry. James' efforts focused on planning and promotion of COVITS, the Commonwealth of Virginia Information Technology Symposium.

Portsmouth, Virginia

Awarded a Virginia Association of Broadcasters summer internship to work in the production department of the NBC affiliate in Tidewater, Virginia market.

Doctorate, Law And Policy

Non-Degreed

Activities and Societies: Political Leaders Program, Class of 2012, at the Sorensen Institute at UVA

Master'S Degree, Public Policy And Management

Bachelor Of Science, Communication

Activities and Societies: Honors College graduate