Freddia Ruffin-Roberson
SMILE Chief Operating Officer

Freddia Ruffin-Roberson, Chief Operating Officer, is responsible for managing all hands-on operational aspects for SMILE Community Action Agency. This includes all Community Action Centers in the tri-parish region, and Transportation and LEAP (Lafayette Emergency Assistance Program) services.

In addition to the three Parish Coordinators, she supervisors the Human Resources Manager, Resource Coordinator/Equal Opportunity Officer, Special Initiative Coordinator, Compliance Officer and the Housing Caseworker.

She reports directly to SMILE CEO Craig A. Mathews.

She serves as the staff liaison for the SMILE Board’s Human Resources Committee.

She has been a full-time employee of the Agency for three years.

However, Freddia is no stranger to community action. Prior to SMILE, she served as the Executive Director for Lafourche Parish Government’s Office of Community Action, and was responsible for federal and stated community programs, which encompassed a $5 million-plus budget.

In 1999, she first became involved with community action when she began working at the

St. Mary-Vermilion Community Action Agency. Through the years, she held several positions, including Program Director, Grant Writer, and Welfare to Work/Small Business Instructor.

Freddia also worked as Executive Director of the Wildflower Community Development Corporation, which provided community outreach, strategic planning and fiscal management services in Morgan City.

In 2018, Freddia became part of the SMILE team as the Director of Human Resources under the Mathews administration, and later became the COO/Human Resources Manager.

She has a B.S. in General Family Consumer Science from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and a M.S. in Business Administration (Public Administration) from Strayer University.

She is certified by the National Housing Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) as a Public Housing Manager. She is also certified as a Nursing Assistant and Activity Director.