IOA Opens Election for 2025 Board of Directors

Members of the International Ombuds Association have begun voting for the next slate of IOA's Board of Directors. Seven candidates are running for five open seats with four current directors running for a second term and three new candidates on the ballot. All elected candidates will begin their service following the IOA Annual Meeting on 16 April 2025.

Job Posting: UN Funds and Programmes

The Ombuds Office for the United Nations' global development network is seeking multiple Conflict Resolution Consultants. The fixed-term, part-time, full-report positions will serve an initial one-year contract. Some travel to UNDP field offices is required. The positions report to the UNDP Ombudsman Patrick Voigt. 

Call for Participants in Ombuds Research

A student at Saint Paul University in Ottawa, Houda Ismaili, is conducting an anonymous survey of ombuds visitors in different organizations. The research is being supervised by two professors Laura Armstrong and Brent Epperson. Ismaili aims to study the experiences of minority and non-minority visitors who have received Ombud services and all responses are confidential. More information and a link that can be shared with visitors: EASE Study.

Internship: University of Alberta

The Office of the Student Ombuds at at UAlberta will hire two Undergraduate Ombuds Interns. The full-time, paid positions will work with undergraduate students on issues related to academic problems, academic offenses, and student conflicts (including residence disputes). The appointments will last one year and report to the Director of the Student Ombuds, Natalie Sharpe, and work with the Undergraduate Ombudsperson, Laurel Wilkie (who got her start as an Ombuds intern).

Central State University Debuts Ombuds Office

CSU has selected Jonathan Hairston as its first Director of the Office of Student Ombuds. He will serve about 5,500 enrolled students at the public land-grant university in Wilberforce, Ohio. He reports to the President's Chief of Staff and follows IOA standards.

University of Waterloo Selects Experienced Ombuds

Whitney Barrett has been appointed the new Ombudsperson for the public research university in Ontario. She will re-establish and manage an office to serve approximately 40,000 students following ACCUO standards of practice and reporting to the University Secretary. Barrett comes to UWaterloo after five years at Western University, most recently as Acting Ombudsperson. 

Federal Courts Complete Ombuds-Like Program for Staff

A new website shows that the all federal circuit courts now have a Director of Workplace Relations. These new positions, "offer a point of contact external to an employee’s local court, providing confidential advice and information regarding options for addressing and resolving workplace conduct concerns.

(Guest Post) Navigating the Ripple Effects of a New Presidential Administration with the Crystal Ball

In this special post, Reese Ramos, the University Ombuds & Director at Virginia Tech, offers thoughts on how Ombuds should anticipate the ripple effects from a new Trump administration, including shifts in workplace policies, DEIB rollbacks, funding changes, and increased stress among visitors. He believes these challenges will impact the Ombuds profession itself, with potential office closures, compassion fatigue, and greater demand for conflict resolution services. Here is his full essay.

Job Posting: Kaiser Permanente, Southern California

KP has reopened its search for a full-time HealthCare Ombuds/Mediator for its medical facilities in West Los Angeles, California. The Kaiser HCOM, "functions as a trained alternative dispute professional offering patients, family members, staff & providers a conflict management program to resolve patient/provider healthcare disputes early thereby improving patient safety & reducing the costs of health care dispute resolution." Local travel is required.

USC Add an Assistant Ombuds

Stacy Rouse has joined the Office of the Ombuds at the University of Southern California as an Assistant Ombuds. In this new, full-time role, she will serve as an Ombuds and provide high-level administrative support to USC's two University Ombuds, Katherine Greenwood, CO-OP, and Tom Kosakowski.

New Administration Ends Department of State Ombuds Program

Reliable sources are confirming that the Office of the Ombudsman at the U.S. State Department is being dissolved. All current Ombuds, several who had been hired in recent months, are on administrative leave pending the termination of the program. The move clearly surprised the office, which had opened searches for three new Ombuds in early December. No other details have been made public. 

Czech School Ombuds Platform Holds 2025 Colloquium

Školská Ombuds Platforma held its fourth annual Colloquium on January 16–17, 2025, at the University of West Bohemia. This year’s event, “How to Approach Notifications? Perspectives and Challenges in Ombudspersons’ Practices,” provided a space for university Ombuds and others to explore handling reports of unethical behavior and difficult situations in academic settings.

Inter Miami to Host Ombuds Night

On April 6, 2025, Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami will host Ombuddies Night Out! The MLS club will take on Toronto FC the night before IOA kicks off its annual conference. Inter Miami plays at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, which is about 32 miles away. Tickets range from $65 to $105. (FEVO.)

IOA Conference Updates: Virtual in 2026; British Columbia in 2027

The International Ombuds Association announced details for its next two annual conferences. In 2026, the conference will be held virtually, much like the 2021 COVID conference. In 2027, the conference resumes an in-person format and will be held in Vancouver. To mitigate the lack of an in-person event in 2026, IOA will hold its September Symposium at a location to be determined. 

Job Posting: University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota Twin Cities has opened a search for an Ombudsperson. The position is within Student Conflict Resolution Center and reports to finn j. schneider, University Ombuds and Director. The job is located East Bank of the Minneapolis and a hybrid schedule is available.