Top photo caption: In 2021, Lao-Collins was awarded an honorary doctorate degree for public service by Georgian Court University, Lakewood. Here she is pictured with her sons Abraham, left, and Eric. Courtesy photo/ Russ DeSantis Photography and Video, LLC
By Mary Stadnyk, Associate Editor
For Marlene Lao-Collins, one conviction has guided her lengthy career in government, nonprofit organizations and Catholic ministry: Every person is made in the image and likeness of God.
“That’s what my Catholic faith has taught me, to treat others with dignity and love,” she said.
At the end of the year, Lao-Collins will conclude her 15-year tenure as executive director of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to work alongside dedicated colleagues, partners and supporters in advancing the mission of Catholic Charities,” she said. “I leave with deep gratitude and great confidence in the future of this organization.”
Not long after Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., was appointed to the See of Trenton, he met Lao-Collins through her work as social concerns director for the New Jersey Catholic Conference. She worked closely with the state’s Catholic bishops on health care, housing, poverty and hunger.
Recognizing her rich experience in public policy and social advocacy, Bishop O’Connell appointed her executive director of Catholic Charities in 2011.
“I’m grateful for the leadership of Marlene Lao-Collins at Catholic Charities DOT,” he said. “She has been a dynamic, deeply committed servant of the most needy among us.”
A lifetime of advocacy
Born in Jersey City and raised in Hoboken, Lao-Collins said her desire to serve others was inspired by her parents, natives of Puerto Rico, and by the Franciscan priests and religious brothers and sisters who staffed her family’s parish, St. Joseph, Hoboken.
“They instilled in me a caring for the dignity of life and of God’s creation,” she said. “I was made aware of what was happening in our community around poverty.”
“I grew up in that environment,” she said. “I was drawn in to see something and say, ‘Maybe I can help.’”
After graduating from Rutgers University–New Brunswick with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance, Lao-Collins began her career at a nonprofit focused on affordable housing.
After she and her husband, Michael, moved to Trenton in 1983, she spent 10 years in the city’s finance department. She later worked for the state’s Department of Community Affairs and Department of Human Services, gaining experience in public policy and advocacy.
While working for a foundation focused on childhood development, she met Regina Purcell, the NJCC’s director of social concerns, who was preparing to retire and encouraged Lao-Collins to apply for her position.
“I never considered working for the bishops of New Jersey,” Lao-Collins said. But with encouragement from then-NJCC Executive Director Bill Bolan, she accepted the position.
From 1999 to 2011, she advocated for the state’s Catholic bishops, bringing Catholic social teaching to discussions about public policy in the Statehouse, Washington, D.C., and communities throughout New Jersey.
Her NJCC experience taught her that the bishops’ work “wasn’t about politics. Whenever they weighed in on issues, it was always from a pastoral perspective,” she said.
She credits her family, particularly Michael, with supporting her career and community involvement.
While raising their sons, Eric and Abraham, the family participated in service projects together. Lao-Collins also served on the Trenton school board and Catholic Charities board and was director of religious education at St. Joseph Parish, Trenton.
“I could not have done any of this without Michael’s support,” she said of her huband, who was ordained a permanent deacon by Bishop O’Connell on May 12, 2012, in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton. Deacon Collins died May 4, 2019.
Missions accomplished
Lao-Collins arrived at Catholic Charities prepared to lead the Diocese’s flagship social service agency, which had served people in need throughout Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties for more than a century.
Today, the agency operates 75 programs addressing mental health, poverty reduction, social services and crisis response. Its programs reach more than 120,000 individuals and families each year.
During Lao-Collins’ tenure, Catholic Charities responded to a series of crises.
When Superstorm Sandy struck New Jersey in 2012, the agency mobilized outreach efforts in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought another unprecedented challenge.
“Very quickly we knew this was not going to be business as usual,” she said.
The agency helped distribute the first round of COVID-19 vaccines in Trenton, established a Coronavirus Crisis Fund and worked with parishes to reach underserved communities.
In 2021, Catholic Charities responded to the arrival of Afghan refugees at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
Under Lao-Collins’ leadership, Catholic Charities also expanded its behavioral health services. In 2019, the agency was selected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to operate one of the nation’s first Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics.
In 2025, Catholic Charities achieved full accreditation from The Joint Commission, a leading benchmark for health-care quality and safety. Lao-Collins also spearheaded a capital campaign that raised $5.6 million to strengthen the agency’s mission.
“It has been wonderful to work with Marlene, and I will miss her,” said Brenda Rascher, diocesan executive director of Catholic Social Services. “She exemplified time and again how her faith formed the foundation of all she did. … She understood that Catholic Charities was first and foremost Catholic.”
While Lao-Collins often noted the reality of “no money, no mission,” Rascher said she would never compromise the faith for money.
“Marlene deserves all our respect, and she most assuredly has mine,” Rascher said. “I pray for many blessings for her as she moves on in life.”
In retirement, Lao-Collins expects service to remain part of her life. For now, she looks forward to spending more time with her sons and her 11-month-old granddaughter.
