By Stephen Hemelt
L’Observateur

When it came time to officially name Natalie Robottom County Leader of the Year, Erin Greer said it was a comparatively simple decision.

Greer, managing editor for American City & County, was part of the team that recognized Robottom, the St. John the Baptist Parish president, in the magazine’s June edition.

“She definitely stood out,” Greer said of Robottom. “We were pretty comfortable in our selection of Natalie. We did do our typical process of narrowing it down to our top 10 and whittling it down from there. As far as decisions go, sometimes you are in the room for a long time.”

That was not the case with Robottom. 

“If this was a jury, we would have come to a verdict comparatively quickly,” Greer said. “We felt really comfortable and really confident in our selection of Natalie. She seems to be a very exemplary leader.”

Robottom said she was humbled and honored to receive “such a prestigious award,” but credited the recognition to prayer, a strong support system of family and friends and committed staff members and employees.

“This award is the result of a shared effort and vision for a better community, and our work is not yet complete,” Robottom said.

American City & County staff will present Robottom with an award at 2 p.m. Monday at the National Association of Counties 2014 conference in New Orleans.

American City & County, which featured Robottom on its June cover, produced a feature article about her that was nearly 2,000 words long and included glowing testimonials from Louisiana state emergency management leader Mark Riley, New Wine Christian Fellowship pastor Neil Bernard and Harold Flynn Jr., a member of the Community Advisory Board.

Greer said the magazine makes its award decisions after a two-month submission process that is publicized on the magazine’s website, in its editions and in email letters.

“Once all of those applications come in, they are all read and vetted by our staff,” Greer said. “We are looking at accomplishments in a very select period of time, typically within the last two years. It isn’t a lifetime achievement award.”

One of the major things that struck American City & County leaders, Greer said, was Robottom’s leadership following Hurricane Isaac’s landfall in 2012.

“With Natalie, a lot of what impressed us about her was her decisive action in the face of a crisis, both pre- and post-hurricane,” Greer said. “A natural disaster is one of those things that is all encompassing. Once the damage is done, it affects all areas of life, therefore all the areas of government.”

The magazine reported Hurricane Isaac’s floodwaters forced the evacuation of more than 6,000 residents and 200 pets.

“The storm surprised everybody,” Riley said, according to the story. “The evacuation was quickly organized. It’s important not to let the chaos of the situation confuse you. It’s a matter of doing the right things at the right times. (Robottom) did an excellent job of giving directions to staff to get things done.”

Greer said Robottom’s place as St. John’s first female and black parish president, as well as her community involvement are outstanding.

“She is incredibly involved in her community and not just in her position as parish president,” Greer said. “The list was about two miles long of things in which she is involved.”

Highlights for Robottom include her positions as the Guild First Vice-President for the Urban League of Greater New Orleans and vice-president of the Black Caucus of the Police Jury Association of Louisiana. She was also recognized as a trail blazer by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women at its 13th Annual Torchbearers Awards.

To read the story, visit americancityandcounty.com.