As announced in July 2014 to the Board of Trustees, administration and staff of Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, Robert Siebel will be retiring as Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Charities and Related Agencies, effective November 1, 2014. Siebel has served in this capacity for over eleven years, in a career spanning 41 years with the Agency.
“I am deeply grateful for all that Catholic Charities has meant in my life; the work we have done together over the years has immeasurably deepened my appreciation of the human spirit and our tremendous collective capacity to do good,” said Siebel. “I look forward with excitement to the next chapter in CCBQ’s evolution.”
Siebel was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Catholic Charities and affiliate agencies on November 4, 2002. Under his leadership, Catholic Charities has grown to become one of the largest Catholic Charities in the country and is credited with expanding the agency’s ability to work and partner with thousands of families, individuals and neighborhoods throughout Brooklyn and Queens. The agency was successfully reaccredited by the Council of Accreditation (COA) for Services to Children and Families in 2014.
Siebel first joined Catholic Charities in 1973 as a mental health case-aide with the Catholic Charities Flatlands Guidance Center, rising through the ranks and holding a variety of positions, including Youth Development Coordinator, Regional Director for Northern Brooklyn, Associate Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. He has served on numerous not for profit Boards, as well as chairing the NYS Council of Catholic Charities Directors from 2006 to 2009 and serving as a member of the Alexandria, Va. based Catholic Charities USA Board of Trustees from 2005 to 2011.
Siebel helped develop numerous service models for the organization, including residential programs for persons struggling with mental illness, services to the homeless, and a nationally recognized training program for early childhood development workers, The Caritas Center. Additionally, he served as chief architect of Catholic Charities’ extensive September 11th Disaster Response efforts on behalf of affected individuals and families, including bereavement services, counseling, financial assistance, emergency day care and employment services; he served as a similar catalyst to the agency’s robust response to Superstorm Sandy.
“His work with Catholic Charities during the past forty-one-years has made a positive difference in the lives of thousands of families in need throughout Brooklyn and Queens,” said Msgr. Alfred LoPinto, Vicar for Human Services, Diocese of Brooklyn. “Robert has left an indelible imprint upon Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens. We are grateful for his years of leadership and dedication.”
During this transition period, Msgr. Alfred LoPinto will be assuming the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer. Siebel will assist Msgr. LoPinto in a consultative and supportive role through November 2015.
In 2014, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens completed the first stage of a Strategic Visioning process. The many activities of this phase resulted in a re-articulated mission statement and the setting of strategic directions for the Agency in the areas of sustainability, presence and innovation. Led by Msgr. LoPinto, along with the oversight and active participation of a committee of the Agency’s Board of Trustees, Catholic Charities will continue the process of planning and assessment in light of the ever changing environment in the Diocese of Brooklyn and New York City.
