Neighborhood House, a St. Paul nonprofit social service organization, has named longtime West Side resident and nonprofit executive Janet Gracia as its next president.

Gracia has spent 30 years — 15 of them in executive roles — with the Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys. She is currently the senior vice president of culture and impact, overseeing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts as well as volunteer culture.

Gracia will replace Nancy Brady, who is retiring after 10 years as president of Neighborhood House.

Neighborhood House has served as a multicultural, multilingual resource network for immigrants, refugees and low-income families in St. Paul since 1897. The organization serves 16,000 people annually, assisting with basic needs such as food and housing. It also offers coaching to families along with educational programming.

Gracia herself turned to Neighborhood House when moving from Iowa to Minnesota in 1990 as a single mom for its support and resources. She has since dedicated her time to working for organizations with related goals, developing leadership and empowering people in their communities.

“Because Neighborhood House was there for me when I needed help, I was able to thrive in many areas of my life,” Gracia said in a statement. “I am honored to carry forward this mission and work side-by-side with staff and community to help us all thrive.”

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