It’s difficult to define the impact and significance of Greg Peters’ 40-years of service to children, teens, and families. If given just a word, it would be accurate to summarize his career as transformative.
Greg began making enduring contributions to health and family services when he joined UMFS in 1980. He helped get the UMFS Treatment Foster Care program up and running; he opened the first UMFS regional center, in Tidewater, and continued to add additional regional centers statewide; and he expanded UMFS’ educational footprint by bringing Charterhouse School to both Richmond and Edinburg.
If you’d like to leave questions or send well-wishes to Greg, you may do so here: http://ow.ly/YOY550BRpvO
Greg’s preference for a hands-on approach was obvious from his earliest days as a social worker, and his impact only multiplied when he was named CEO in 2000. Greg’s efforts are sure to be seen long after his retirement, and contributions to the UMFS Master Plan in Richmond, for example, will be part of Greg’s far-reaching and long-lasting legacy. The Master Plan will usher in a new era of UMFS that includes a state-of-the-art Child & Family Healing Center and an addition to Charterhouse School.
“Greg’s a phenomenal leader,” said Sonja Lawson, who worked directly with Greg for 14 years as the UMFS Executive Assistance. She’s now Associate Director of Administrative Operations. “He leads by example, and not just from the top down. He’s in the trenches.”
Not only is Greg’s presence felt strongly around UMFS, he’s widely recognized by partners throughout the community for his unwavering commitment to families and his expertise in the area of child and family services. Greg was appointed by the last five Virginia governors to serve on the State Executive Council of the Children’s Services Act and recently was named to the Board of Medical Assistance Services by Governor Ralph Northam.
Sonja attributes Greg’s success, in part, to his innate interpersonal skills. “One of the amazing things about Greg is he’s a great listener,” she said. “And he leads beside you, not above you.”
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Greg Peters earned his bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater College and his master’s in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University. He’s a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Leadership Metro Richmond alumnus who’s completed coursework at the University of North Carolina, Harvard University, and the College of William and Mary. Follow UMFS as we continue to celebrate Greg as he approaches retirement in the spring of 2021.