James Toscano
James Toscano is Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications. The Department includes Communications/Community Relations, Customer Service, Government Relations, Marketing and the TRAFFIX program. James was hired by HRT in May 2005 as Director of Government and Media Relations.
Before HRT, James served for three years as legislative director to Bob McDonnell, the Governor of Virginia, during Bob’s tenure as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and Assistant Majority Leader. In the summer of 2002, James was a Governor’s Fellow under Governor Mark R. Warner in the Virginia Office of the Governor, working alongside the Secretary of Technology to promote Virginia’s technology industry. He has also previously done stints in television and radio broadcasting.
As a volunteer, James is a member of the Board of Directors of the ODU Alumni Association, and Co-Chair of its Communications Committee, the Norfolk Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Virginia Transit Association, and he has previously been a member of the Board of Visitors of Old Dominion University (2002). He was recognized as one of Hampton Roads’ Top 40 Under 40 by Inside Business in 2008.
James holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. After being accepted to the London School of Economics to study Policy, James earned a master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from the University of London.