Lewis Redding, the Ombudsperson for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, has announced he will retire at the end of May 2011. Redding has served in the role since 1996 and previously was the Ombudsman at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory and Northeastern University. When hired at JPL, he became not only that laboratory's first Ombuds, but also the first Ombuds at any NASA facility.
Redding has been a speaker at IOA and TOA conferences and a long-time supporter and organizer of the California Caucus of College & University Ombuds and the Southern California Ombuds Group. There has been no announcement regarding the future of the JPL Ombuds program. (IOA Speaker Profiles 2006; 2010 CCCUO Agenda.)
I suspect that JPL will NOT replace Lewis Redding. JPL management has ignored his recommendations to take action against the abusive management culture at JPL. Now the employees will have no one to go to...JPL's management has free rein to continue the bullying and abuse.
ReplyDeleteLewis Redding was a uniquely talented person who made JPL a place where talented human beings work at the limits of imagination
ReplyDeleteWithout him JPL will embark on a downward spiral into an assembly line production organization
Is there any way that he can be contacted?
This is coming into to full fruition now. Titanic level of failures up ahead. The new generation wont save you! They have no idea how this place runs and private industry is taking all the talent. Was this a gift to Bezo's and Musk or just pure happenstance of JPL's arrogance.
DeleteSorry, I have no information about what Lewis will be doing next.
ReplyDeleteWho is the current omsbudman?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, there is not one.
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