Transplant doesn’t keep Oubre from employee of year

Charlie Oubre III, who has served as a dedicated, hardworking public servant for 25 years, has been named employee of the year for St. Charles Parish.

But even though the honor is great, Oubre has been going through a difficult recovery process.

“In February, I went through surgery for a kidney transplant and I had to miss some time from work to go through the recovery process,” Oubre said. “The operation was a success and I’m grateful.”

Oubre says he found out in April that he was named employee of the year and it means a lot to him.
“I’ve been with the parish for 25 years,” he said. “When I found out I had won the award I was extremely grateful."

 Oubre serves as second in command at the finance office.
“A committee of his peers and a randomly selected department director selects the employee of the year,” Sandy Zimmer, personnel director for the parish, said. “I believe he has gone the extra mile for so many different people in the parish.”

Zimmer says everyone she spoke to agrees that Oubre was an excellent choice for the award.
“There is no minimum amount of years that a person employed with the parish can be nominated for the award,” she said.  “However, the longer the employee is here, the more familiar the committee is with the person generally.”

Zimmer says attendance, no recent disciplinary action, and good performance evaluations are some of the criteria used to determine who receives the award.
Oubre is not only a dedicated parish employee, but he also participates in many community service projects outside of work.

“I’m a Eucharistic minister for the Holy Rosary Church in Hahnville,” he said. “I’m the treasurer for the Knights of Columbus.”

Oubre also participates in American Legion Baseball, sits on the board of the Krewe of Lul Mardi Gras Committee, and is the statistician for both Hahnville High School football and baseball games.

Oubre wasn’t the only employee to receive recognition from the parish. Overall, 80 parish employees were recognized for their dedication and commitment to service as parish employees.