Pat Cashell
Patrick Cashell, a native Nevadan, received a B.S. in Hospitality Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and currently serves as the Regional Director of Volunteers of America as well as a board member for Saint Mary’s Hospital.
As Regional Director of Volunteers of America, Patrick leads 70 program staff in providing shelter, outreach, case management, affordable housing and other support services for thousands of men, women and children in Northern Nevada. He also manages and helped found Reno Works, a workforce development program that provides homeless shelter residents with an opportunity to transition into the workforce and permanent housing. Employability skills training, long-term employment support, wrap-around case management and mentoring are all provided through a 9-week course that Patrick helped spearhead.
Prior to his current involvement, Patrick served as a volunteer and Advisory Board Member for the Volunteers of America, a board member of Quest Counseling & Consulting and a founding board member for Safe Talk for Teens. He also helped form a parent support group for Join Together Northern Nevada aimed at providing support to parents who struggle with kids battling addiction and was an inspirational speaker at the Volunteers of America’s Shelter from the Storm breakfast.
Patrick’s passion for community service stems from his own experience with homelessness and addiction. For a decade, Patrick Cashell battled a crippling drug addiction that eventually left him living on the streets. Today, with over eleven years of recovery under his belt, he harnesses his experience and knowledge in providing insightful solutions to complex matters with regard to mental illness, homelessness and addiction. His belief is that by sharing the story of his own recovery, he’ll inspire hope in those still struggling as well as help shed the stigma surrounding these issues.