Abbeville native selected as president of St. John Parish

Abbeville native Natalie Hawthorne Robottom was elected President of St. John the Baptist Parish in the May 1 election. She took office Tuesday, May 11.

Prior to her election, Robottom served as Governor Bobby Jindal’s Director of the Office of Community Programs, managing $70 million in state and federal funds for programs addressing the needs of the elderly, disabled, children, youth and women.  She also served as Louisiana’s Liaison for the White House Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships and Louisiana’s designee to the Delta Regional Authority.

Robottom worked as Parish Manager for Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government and as St. John Parish’s Chief Administrative Officer, where she managed all operations of parish government.

She also served as St. John’s Chief Financial Officer. She worked in Speech-Language Pathology for 27 years and served as a special education administrator in St. John Parish’s school system

Robottom earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette and acquired a Master’s Degree in the field of speech from Louisiana State University. 

She also served as president of the state association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists in Louisiana Schools, the St. Joan of Arc Home and School Association, the St. Joan of Arc School Board and the River Region American Heart Association.  She was appointed by two Governors to the Louisiana Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists.

Robottom served as a board member in the River Region American Heart Association, the YMCA of the River Parishes, and as a Trustee for the Chartwell Center for Autism located in New Orleans. She has chaired and participated in numerous professional organizations and advisory boards across the state.