Job Posting: SOS Children's Villages, Jordan

The Austria-based international development organization for children is hiring National Ombuds in the capital city of Amman. The full-time, six-month contract position is expected to report to Sambieni Bienvenu, the SOS Regional Ombuds for West, Central & North Africa.

NOMMO Sets Inaugural Meeting

The Network of Ombudsman and Mediators of Multilateral Organizations will hold its first meeting on February 9, 2026. Youssoupha Niang (Ombudsperson and Mediator at UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency) will convene the meeting at 15:00 CEST | 9:00 EDT. The session, "Bridging the Gap: 2025 Lessons as 2026 Blueprints," is intended to be the first step in establishing the new group. Panelists are expected to include Shireen Dodson (UN Ombudsman), Nadine Chapman (Manager of the World Bank Group Mediation Services), and Nicholas Diehl (Head of Ombuds for the Inter-American Development Bank). (LinkedIn.) 

IOA Announces 2025 September Symposium Speakers

The International Ombuds Association has announced the speaker lineup for its 2025 September Symposium, "Advocating for Your Office and the Ombuds Role." The virtual event will take place on September 30, 2025, from 11:00am to 7:00pm Eastern time.

Here are the scheduled speakers:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Selects an Ombuds

Marcus Stergio has been selected as the next Ombudsperson for MIT, following Nick Diehl. Stergio joins the other MIT Ombuds, Judi Segall, and reports to the President. Together, they serve as a resource for all members of the MIT community, including faculty, staff, postdocs, and students — a total population of nearly 35,000.

SOS Children's Villages Completes Global Ombuds Program

Over the past year, the Austria-based international development organization has finished the hiring for its global Ombuds program. Appointed as the Global Ombuds in May 2024, Pierre Cazenave oversees a team of Regional Ombuds, who coordinate National Ombuds located at SOS facilities around the world. Cazenave brings a decade of child advocacy to the role, most recently as s senior anti-trafficking specialist with the International Center for Migration Policy Development. His team of Regional Ombuds include:

Job Re-Posting: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The private research university in Cambridge has reposted its search Ombudsperson across multiple job sites. The search will fill a position recently vacated by Nick Diehl. The position works as a team with the other MIT Ombuds, Judi Segall. Reporting to the President, the two MIT Ombuds serve as a resource for all members of the diverse MIT community, including faculty, staff, postdocs, and students — a total population of nearly 35,000.  

Job Posting: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The private research university in Cambridge has opened a search for an Ombudsperson. The search will fill a position held by Nick Diehl since 2017. The position works as a team with the other MIT Ombuds, Judi Segall. Reporting to the President, the two MIT Ombuds serve as a resource for all members of the diverse MIT community, including faculty, staff, postdocs, and students — a total population of nearly 35,000.  

Inter-American Development Bank Names Ombuds

Nick Diehl has been selected the next Head of Ombuds & Mediation Services for the Latin American Development Bank. He follows Ellen Connors in the position and is expected to serve an initial five-year term. Diehl will be based at IDB's headquarters in Washington, DC, and report directly to the President.

Job Posting: Tufts University

The private research university near Boston will hire its first Ombudsperson. The new Ombuds will report to the Provost and serve faculty, staff, and students following IOA standards. The job posting is the first public indication that Tufts was considering an Ombuds. Nick Diehl, Ombuds at nearby MIT, is a lecturer in conflict resolution at Tuft's School of Engineering. 

(Guest Post) Sara Thacker Comments on the Proposed IOA Bylaws

The following commentary was submitted by Sara Thacker, Director & Ombudsperson of the Staff Ombuds Office at the University of California, Berkeley. She has been a member of IOA since its creation and previously served on the IOA Board of Directors and as Co-Chair of the IOA Communications Committee.

(Guest Post) Chuck Howard Comments on the Proposed IOA Bylaws

The following commentary was submitted by Charles Howard, IOA Executive Director and author of The Organizational Ombudsman: Origins, Roles and Operations - A Legal Guide. Before becoming the IOA Executive Director, Howard was a long-time attorney for Ombuds and a regular speaker at IOA conferences. [Emphasis and links in original.]

Independent Forum to Discuss Proposed IOA Bylaws

Later today, Teresa Ralicki, CO-OP, an Ombuds at the University of Colorado Denver, will host an independent forum for IOA members to discuss the proposed changes to the association's bylaws. Her full announcement follows [links to IOA members-only content omitted]:

(Guest Post) IOA Executive Committee Comments on the Proposed Bylaws

The following commentary was submitted by the International Ombudsman Association's Board of Directors Executive Committee. The groups is comprised of Melanie Jagneaux, CO-OP, Board President and Ombudsman Director at Baylor College of Medicine; Steve Prevaux, CO-OP, Board Vice President and Ombuds Officer for the University of South Florida System; Ronnie Thomson, Board Secretary and Corporate Ombudsman for Sandia National Laboratories; Lee Twyman, Board Treasurer and former Ombuds for the Rochester Institute of Technology; and Willem Kweens, CO-OP, Board Assistant Treasurer and European Ombudsman for Mars, Inc. [Emphasis in original, links to members-only content omitted.]

(Guest Post) Francine Montemurro Comments on the Proposed IOA Bylaws

The following commentary was submitted by Francine Montemurro, CO-OP, Ombuds for Boston University and the American Finance Association, and former Ombuds at SUNY Binghamton.  She served two terms on the IOA Board of Directors and volunteered on numerous standing committees. 

(Guest Post) Doris Campos-Infantino Comments on the Proposed IOA Bylaws

The following commentary was submitted by Doris Cecilia Campos-Infantino, Ombuds at the World Bank Group and former Ombuds at the National Institutes of Health and the Inter-American Development Bank. She served two terms on the IOA Board of Directors and her leadership positions included three terms as Vice President. She has been a speaker at multiple IOA conferences and meetings of the Ombudsman and Mediators of the United Nations & Related International Organizations, and an instructor for IOA's "Ombudsman 101" course.

(Guest Post) Mary Rowe Comments on the Proposed IOA Bylaws

The following commentary was submitted by Mary Rowe, IOA Distinguished Emeritus and former Ombuds at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was a founder of the Corporate Ombudsman Association, the first professional group for Organizational Ombuds, Adjunct Professor of Negotiation and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and thought-leader in the Ombuds profession. [Emphasis in original.]

(Guest Post) Brett Harris and Jai Calloway Comment on the Proposed IOA Bylaws

The following commentary was submitted by Brett Harris and Jai Calloway. They are co-chairs for the International Ombudsman Association's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force, but are not writing in their official capacity. Calloway is an independent consultant and Ombuds at Iowa State University, and former Corporate Ombudsman for Halliburton. Harris is the Ombuds at the University of Oregon, and former Ombuds at the University of Mississippi the University of North Dakota.

(Guest Post) Nick Diehl Comments on the Proposed Bylaws

The following commentary was submitted by Nicholas Diehl, CO-OP, Ombuds at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and former Ombuds at Asian Development Bank, American Red Cross, National Institutes of Health, and Princeton University. He is also a Past President of the International Ombudsman Association and a regular instructor for IOA's "Foundations" training course.

IOA to Hold 2020 Annual Business Meeting Online

Although the International Ombudsman Association has cancelled its conference, it will convene its annual members-only business meeting virtually on April 1, 2020. In addition to the association's business, the meeting will host a open "community dialog" for participants to talk about the future of the profession.

Here is the full announcement: 

Job Posting: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University

The private graduate school (Okinawa Kagaku Gijutsu Daigakuin Daigaku) located in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan is hiring an Assistant Ombudsperson. OIST's Ombuds Office was established in June 2019 (with a full-developed policy) as an IOA-compliant resource for all employees and students of the highly-ranked institute. The part-time Assistant Ombudsperson will work with and serve as an alternate to the existing OIST Ombudsperson. (It is not clear from public materials who serves as the Ombudsperson, but the implication is that the first Ombuds also holds another position at the institute.)