Hébert has a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and earned master's and doctorate degrees in Latin American history from Georgetown University.
[1] He began his career at the Library of Congress in 1969 as a senior reference specialist in the Geography and Map Division.
In his official capacity, Hébert served on the steering committee of the Federal Geographic Data Committee and was a member and Chairman of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
He was also a member of the advisory council for the People of America Foundation and a past-member of the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars, the National Hispanic Quincentennial Commission, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the U.S. Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee Commission.
From 1973 to 1987, he served as editor of the cartographic and the bibliography and general works sections of the annual Handbook of Latin American Studies (University of Texas Press)