Before joining and helping steer Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada from the end of the Great Recession through a global pandemic and the economic crisis that followed, Deacon Tom Roberts didn’t imagine the career change that placed him at the helm of the organization.

Newly ordained, Roberts was an accomplished gaming executive when he got the nod to temporarily lead the nonprofit after the sudden passing of its former President and CEO Monsignor Patrick Leary in 2012.

Roberts, 63, has led the organization since, recently announcing that he’s retiring at the end of the year.

“It’s been the honor of my life to serve here,” he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal this week, his voice breaking. “I’ve gotten to do some amazing things in the business world — and I’m proud of every one of them — but I didn’t know that maybe God was preparing me my whole life for this job.”

The 16 programs at the Catholic Charities campus help shelter and feed hundreds of people every day, among other services.

“We’re faith-based, but we’re not the Catholic Church,” said Roberts, adding that the nonprofit doesn’t proselytize or turn anyone away.

Under Roberts’ tenure, the nonprofit’s yearly operating budget grew from $16 million to $50 million, with overhead costs of about 10 percent, he said.

The Meals on Wheels program that delivers meals to 2,500 seniors daily has more than doubled. The food pantry, which most resembles a small grocery store, helps 150 families each day.

The dining room that serves daily meals to hundreds stayed open throughout the pandemic.

The fact that there is hunger in Las Vegas, including from 1,000 seniors on the waiting list for the delivery program, bothers Roberts.

“It shouldn’t be like this, there’s more food consumed in this town than any other place in the world,” he said. “It’s unacceptable to me that people are hungry here. Out of any other place, no one should be hungry in Las Vegas.”

‘Next generation’

Roberts credits his staff of about 300 and the thousands of volunteers for the nonprofit’s successes serving the local population.

“It’s time for me to let this team and the next generation of leaders come forward and take it to the next level,” he said.

Replacing Roberts is a tall order, said John P. Hester, who sits in the nonprofit’s board of trustees.

“It’s not going to be easy to find his replacement,” Hester said. “He’s a good strategic thinker; he also has really good relationships with local, state and federal government officials.”

Then there’s the human element, he added. “I think he’s caring. I think that he’s a good listener, and he looks for opportunities to support folks that come to the agency for services.”

Humble beginnings

Roberts was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio. He was only 3 when his father died, devastating his widow and six children.

The dioceses there helped put the children through school. Roberts’ early jobs included cleaning a convent and delivering newspapers with his brothers.

He paid his way through college by working at a grocery store, where he met his wife of 38 years. The firm that developed the shopping center hired him after he graduated.

He was promoted, moved around the country and landed in Las Vegas in the early 1990s, becoming the founding general manager of the Forum Shops at Caesars. He was an executive at the Rio and helped open two gaming properties in Louisiana before returning to the valley as vice president of development for Station Casinos.

After Leary died, Roberts first took vacation and then an unpaid leave to help Catholic Charities as an interim CEO. He was named the official replacement in 2013.

Meeting the people who seek services at Catholic Charities changed his perspective.

“I was totally ignorant,” he said. “I understood what it was like to struggle, but I didn’t understand what it was like to live on the street. My mother kept us together.”

Roberts said he is a firm believer of compassionate care, and understanding individual stories to help eradicate hunger and house more people along with wrap-around services.

“It shouldn’t be painful to get help,” he said, “it shouldn’t be embarrassing.”

At all times, he said, he keeps courtesy cards that map Catholic Charities’ location. When he comes across someone in the streets, he hands one to them along with free bus passes.

“They’re just like you and me,” he said. “Everybody has a story, and if you take the time to listen they can articulate to you what has happened.”

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.