SVdP retiring Board President Bob Liles
After serving two three-year terms as District Council Board President for St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County (SVdP), Bob Liles is stepping down after six years of dedicated service.
Before joining SVdP, Bob spent his career at Dow Chemical. “I worked for Dow Chemical for 31 years, and I was never what you would call the corporate management type,” Bob said. “I’ve always been a project manager. Projects are easy, but people don’t always go where you want!”
After retiring, a friend invited him to volunteer at the SVdP food pantry at the Most Holy Rosary Church in Antioch for just three hours every two months.
“Once I got involved, I started seeing all these little ways I could help out, and soon I was doing more and more,” Bob said. “Then I started visiting and helping our neighbors in need, and before I knew it SVdP became my whole life.”
Bob soon became president of his local conference (branch) and then District Council Board Treasurer then President. Although he never sought out leadership, he has led volunteer groups in one way or another for the past 25 years.
“I’ve never ran against anyone or campaigned for anything, I’ve always been recruited,” Bob said. “But whether it was my bike club or my kids’ Little League, I can look back now and see how God was preparing me for SVdP and being District Council President.”
One volunteer and immediate former President of the SVdP Conference at the Most Holy Rosary, Larry Hopwood, said Bob was the person who recruited him to join SVdP. Larry would go on to serve as Bob’s Vice President at the Conference in Antioch, where he said he got to watch Bob transform the Most Holy Rosary Conference into an efficient and well-oiled machine.
“Bob is incredibly smart and intelligent,” Larry said. “He instituted doing home-visits at Most Holy Rosary, and he put his whole heart and soul into it. He computerized the Conference too. Before Bob updated our processes and systems, we were using 3×5 cards for everything. He truly is a wealth of information.”
SVdP Executive Director Claudia Ramirez worked with Bob very closely during his tenure. Claudia said she first began working with Bob when he was the treasurer for the District Council. She said, “It has been both a pleasure and privilege serving as the Executive Director under Bob Liles’ leadership. Bob’s Vincentian heart was always the driving force behind the decisions and directives that he had during his time as District Council President. He also tempered that with his practical, engineering mindset, striking a balance that helped me stay focused on the mission while still effectively running the daily operations of the Society. I also very much appreciate Bob’s sense of humor – he makes me smile!”
During Bob’s tenure, SVdP opened the Dentists on Wheels Free Dental Clinic. Bob is also personally proud of helping launch the Vincentian Newsletter to keep volunteers connected and informed across the county, as well as creating an online tool repository so Vincentians can easily access the applications and resources they need to help neighbors receive food and rental assistance.
Above all, Bob is deeply appreciative of his time with SVdP and the ways it has changed him.
“Volunteering with SVdP has given me more empathy, more understanding for people in need,” Bob said. “I used to think the largest factor in poverty was personal responsibility, but now I can see the system problem that can keep people trapped. Some people get dealt a really awful hand.”
When visiting neighbors in need on home visits, Bob wears a shirt printed with a saying from Italian friar Padre Pio, which he says is the exact advice he would give his past self before taking on the presidency: “Hope, pray, and don’t worry. I really think that is the solution to a lot of the problems we face. We can’t fix everything, but we can hope, we can pray, and we can try not to worry.”
“One of the best parts of SVdP is the friendship,” Bob said. “I was blessed to visit all of the food pantries our Vincentians run in Contra Costa County, and it really warmed my heart. Seeing all the volunteers helping people in need while enjoying their day, laughing, and cooking and eating lunch. There was always so much love and friendship, and I think people who aren’t full-fledged Vincentians don’t realize how much joy they are missing out on.”
Now, Bob is excited to have more time to go on home visits again with his home branch at the Most Holy Rosary in Antioch. Looking ahead, he hopes to see more associate volunteers become full-fledged Vincentians.
SVdP Board Member and St. Callistus Conference President Audrey Nieman said, “Bob Liles was easy to work with on the board. He was always well-prepared and asked for everyone’s input. In his president’s report, it was clear he attended many events representing SVdP, as well as visiting Conferences around the district. On important decisions, he asked Board Members for their perspectives before asking for a Board decision. In most cases, Bob easily achieved consensus. On difficult matters, he put in the time to research options before presenting his findings. He never put Board Members or staff on the spot or blamed anyone for situations beyond their control. Bob Liles served the district well, was friendly and easy to talk to, and was well-prepared and diligent in his term as president.”
SVdP St. Agnes Conference President Donna Walton said, “I was impressed when I first met Bob. He told a story about being in an accident on his bicycle with a truck, and how he felt afterward that he was meant to do something to help others. He was always such a good Vincentian, both as Most Holy Rosary Conference President and District President. He was always available and made it a point to attend meetings at each Conference. Him attending a meeting at St. Agnes made us feel listened to and cared about.”
SVdP Board Secretary Joyce Ohanesian said, “When Bob Liles became President, he asked me to join the Board. I wasn’t sure what the job entailed, but immediately realized Bob is an excellent servant leader. He is a dedicated Vincentian and truly values the Vincentian essential elements of Friendship, Spirituality, and Service. He is easy to work for, and has a good, dry sense of humor. Decisions at our meetings are always by consensus.”
SVdP Vincentian Services Coordinator Marco Ceballos said, “I remember the first time I got in contact with Bob, I was still a relatively new Vincentian getting into doing Home Visits. I had reached out because I was desperate for answers on how I could help a neighbor. He has been nothing but helpful and I have always appreciated his sense of humor, I find that emails he has sent has either put a smile on my face or made me laugh and that’s a blessing in and of itself.”
SVdP Board Spiritual Advisor and Treasurer Karen Glen said, “I have been on the SVdP Board about the same amount of time as Bob. Working with him as President of the Board was a great blessing. Bob never takes himself too seriously, and because of that there was always a light-hearted joke or kind-reflection shared that would bring everyone together at meetings.”
