Susie Cambre is a native of New Orleans and was born with a profound hearing loss. Armed with a sense of humor, an unflinching determination, a supportive family and a strong education, Susie sought independence and opportunities to make a difference.
She struggled for years to be accepted into law enforcement where despite seemingly endless obstacles, her determination to succeed paid off. Through her experiences, Susie has quite a story to tell. She has written, designed and presented 42 award-winning programs for children, families, senior citizens and professionals. All of these programs are designed to motivate, educate and empower individuals as they face difficulties within their lives and communities. Serious topics are handled with common sense, compassion and humor.
As a Police officer in the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, Susie has been honored as the Quota Club's "International Deaf Woman of the Year 1998" in Melbourne, Australia, and was also recognized by the National Jaycees, and was awarded "Law Enforcement Officer of the Year" by the American Legion and Kiwanis organizations for her outstanding work in Law Enforcement. She has toured and provided seminars, professional training and in-service programs throughout 49 states in the U.S. as well as at locations in other countries. She has also been a local children's television and a radio personality for many years on the New Orleans CBS affiliate WWL-TV, and on the PBS radio station in Hammond, Louisiana
Throughout her career, Susie has worked in almost all capacities of Law Enforcement, from her very first surveillance duty in the Special Operations division, to Patrol, Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, LASER and Community Relations. She continues to assist many departments with specialized situations. She established "Project See and Save" for the elderly and "Red Light, Green Light" for young children, and was also the founder and director of the Louisiana Hearing Dog Program in Hammond.
When Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in 2005, Susie was living in St. Bernard Parish, teaching at Nunez College, and was working on special assignments with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, and was the Supervisor of a Total Community Action, Neighborhood-Community Center in New Orleans. After the storm demolished her community, she and her husband volunteered to work emergency operations on the Gulf Coast for several months. They then worked in Red Cross shelters in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana until November of 2006 when they made their way to Houston. While in Houston, Susie began work as an archivist with the "The Surviving Katrina and Rita Project" with the University of Houston and the U.S. Library of Congress.
Susie has been honored by President Reagan twice and has appeared on a number of nationally televised programs including, Good Morning America, Hour Magazine, ABC's Nightline, The Today Show and Donahue. She was a special guest of First Lady Nancy Reagan and a keynote speaker for the White House Conference on Drug Abuse in 1990. She has won countless national awards including the President's Child Protection Award and the Valley Forge Freedom Foundation Award. The most recent recognition bestowed upon Susie was one of only two prestigious 'The Neighborhood Knight' awards that was received from New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. Susie was also recognized and accepted as an outstanding educator and member of the Omicron Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society.
Susie is currently Director of Elderly Services and Community Education for the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office and is a news correspondent for the Hammond Daily Star. She has recently added Masters in Communications to her list of certifications and degrees which include a Masters in Social Work and Masters of Business Administration in Training and Development. She continues to develop newer and more contemporary projects for her community and schools. Her next challenge will be to pursue her Doctorate in Christian Counseling.
Susie is married to Lloyd Cambre, a jazz drummer, musician and educator and has three step children, 13 grand children and one great grandchild.
We are pleased to recognize Susie for her outstanding leadership in the state of Louisiana and congratulate her on her many accomplishments.