For Marlene Lao-Collins, the leap of faith into her new role as Catholic Charities’ executive director didn’t come quickly or easily.

Lao-Collins, who will succeed Fran Dolan on March 11, said the decision to take the leap came after much reflection, a great deal of prayer, and a lot of consultation with family, friends and colleagues – Dolan included.

In a telephone interview days after she was named to succeed Dolan, Lao-Collins talked about her great love for her 12 years as director of social concerns for the New Jersey Catholic Conference and her work on public policy matters so critical to the poor and vulnerable on behalf of the Catholic bishops of New Jersey.

But even last June, as Dolan was announcing his decision to end a very successful, 23-year-tenure as Catholic Charities’ executive director, she was reflecting on whether the time had come to consider working for an agency directly involved with serving those in need.

“I was praying about this. I pray constantly about the work I do,” said Lao-Collins. Out of the prayers evolved an “urge, an inclination to look at other opportunities.”

Tossing Her Hat in Ring
Since 1999, Lao-Collins, a Trenton resident, had been a key point person for the bishops. In rallies in the public square, in the halls of power in the state house and Washington, D.C., she worked with steady, sure-footed persistence and grace to convey the essence of Catholic social teaching as it applied to those in need of health care, housing and nourishment.

Aside from the NJCC, Lao­Collins also lent her skills to the boards of the NJ Advocacy Network to End Homelessness, St. Francis Medical Center, Trenton; the NJ Regional Equity Coalition; the Anti-Poverty Network of NJ and the NJ Immigration Policy Network.

Fluent in Spanish, she co-founded and was a member of the Mercer County Hispanic Association and the Latina Women’s Council. “I’m of Puerto Rican descent and that is an important characteristic of who I am,” she shared.

“I am fortunate to speak Spanish and interact with the Latino community throughout the state.”

A product of Catholic education, she learned the tenets of social justice from Franciscan friars who created in her an appetite for helping the marginalized that has never waned.

Lao-Collins said that when she learned of the opening at Catholic Charities, she felt “this might be where God is calling me. I decided to throw my hat in the ring.”

She brings to the table a wide ranging background that includes a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from Rutgers University; experience in fiscal management as a comptroller for non-profit organizations; managing the investment portfolio for the city of Trenton and a position with the state Department of Human Services in the office of the ombudsman for the institutionalized elderly.

Familiar with the workings of Catholic Charities not only from her previous positions but from her years at the NJCC and her five years on Catholic Charities’ board, including terms as chair and vice chair, Lao-Collins said she was well aware of the huge scope of the job she was applying for.

The agency, recognized as one of the premier human services providers in the state, oversees 50 programs in four major areas: domestic violence; emergency and community services; children and family services and behavioral health.

It operates with an annual budget of $40 million, 80 percent of which comes from state, federal and local grants and funds. Its 600 employees serve 100,000 people in the four counties of the diocese.

She recognizes the broad challenge in the mission before her.

She says her immediate agenda will be to “get to know the staff and what it means for them to do the work they do and meet with consumers.

“I want to just settle in and get my arms around Catholic Charities before making any decisions.”

Family Matters
As she works toward this goal, Lao-Collins says she will rely on the support of her own family and her church family as well.

In private life, she is married since 1982 to husband Michael Collins, and the mother of their sons, Eric and Abraham. The family is actively involved in St. Joseph Parish, Trenton, where she serves as director of religious education.

“When we moved to Trenton, one of the first things we did was look for a church. We wound up in St. Joseph Parish and we stayed. We loved the parish but for a few years, we just sat in the pews.

“Then our son, Eric was preparing for First Holy Communion and we kept hearing announcements that catechists were needed. One day, we got involved with that and we became more visible,” said Lao-Collins.

“Now we look and see how our (Church) family has grown immensely. There are so many new faces and we have grown so much spiritually as a result of folks coming in from other parts of the world with their deep devotion.”

She noted with pride that her husband is in the second year of preparation for the permanent diaconate. “It’s a great blessing for us,” she said. “I can’t wait for him to be ordained. I think of our faith journey now, and I get choked up.”