FST salutes Margaret Hancock
July 11, 2019
Family Service Toronto is preparing to bid farewell to its Executive Director of the last 12 years.
Margaret Hancock departs July 19 after more than a decade of leadership in the city’s social services sector and directing a team which provides front line services to address poverty, violence against women, LGBTQ+ issues, caregiving for seniors and assists people with mental health needs and developmental disabilities.
Last year, she was one of eight women named as one of 2018’s Women of Distinction award recipients by the Toronto YWCA, which noted her work has created a ripple effect of inclusivity and social justice.
“Her effective consensus building battles oppression and creates solidarity with social justice networks,” the YWCA wrote. “Her work is guided by her core beliefs of equity, inclusion, and justice.”
At FST, Margaret has also demonstrated her reputation as a risk taker with a keen sense of business acumen, leading the agency through several internal challenges and changes, including its successful bid and government contract to build and host a consolidated payment services infrastructure for all Passport clients across Ontario.
She recast FST’s reputation as an innovator in the non-profit world of real estate through bold and transformative partnerships with developers such as Tridel, which built a 29-storey condominium above our new downtown office podium at 355 Church Street.
Margaret has also been a leader and mentor for city-wide agencies and a major mover behind both the launch and development of the Ontario Non-Profit Network and more recently the Toronto Non-Profit Network.
FST thanks Margaret for her years of service and leadership and wishes her well as she takes time to “rewire.”
Chris Brillinger, Executive Director of Social Development, Finance and Administration at the City of Toronto, takes over as FST’s Executive Director on August 6.