The Ombuds Blog: Two Texas Ombuds Join IOA Board

July 02, 2014

Two Texas Ombuds Join IOA Board

The Board of the International Ombudsman Association has replaced two members who stepped down in April. Nick Diehl and Doris Campos-Infantino, both of whom worked for international NGO's and had served as board officers, resigned from their positions citing personal commitments. Appointed to complete their terms were Sean Banks and Belinda Newman.

Banks is the Director of Ombuds Services and Corporate Ombuds for the Shell Oil Company in Houston. Newman is the Ombuds at the University of North Texas in Denton. They both have been deeply involved with IOA's Professional Development Committee and have been instructors for several courses. In an email announcing the changes, IOA President Anamaris Cousins-Price said, "I know that they will be a great addition to the board's leadership and will continue to grow and support IOA and the Ombuds profession." Banks' term will end in 2015 and Newman's in 2016.

Related posts: Interview with University of North Texas Ombuds; IOA Radio to Interview Shell Oil Ombuds; IOA Announces New Board Members; IOA Opens Election for 2014 Board of Directors; IOA Announces Officers for 2014-15.

1 comment:

Tom Kosakowski7/03/2014 10:25 AM
I think this is the first time the Board has gone outside the list of nominees from latest election to fill a vacancy.
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

Organizational Ombuds

Organizational Ombuds serve as a confidential, independent, neutral and informal dispute resolution resource for a specific entity. They are accessible to a defined population and can advocate for fairness. These unique characteristics distinguish Organizational Ombuds from Classical Ombuds, mediators, arbitrators, and other alternative dispute resolution professionals. The term "Ombuds" is shorthand for "Ombudsman," "Ombudsperson" and "Ombuds Officer," which also are used widely.

Some other variants include:

Austria -- Ombudsstelle

Brazil -- Ouvidor

Croatia -- pravobranitelji

France -- médiateur/defénseur

Germany -- Ombudspersonen

Italy -- difensore

Netherlands -- ombudspersoon

Norway -- ombudet

Poland -- Rzecznik

Portugal -- provedor

Russia -- омбудсмен

Spain -- ombudsman organizacional

Sweden -- studentombud

Switzerland -- ombudsmann

Comment Policy

Content and Relevance

Stay on topic: Comments should be relevant to the post.
Be respectful: Personal attacks, insults, profanity, inflammatory language, and discriminatory or harassing comments will not be tolerated.
No self-promotion or spam: Comments should contribute to the conversation and not be used to for commercial purposes.
No confidential information: Do not share confidential information about your organization or visitors.

Length and Format

Keep it concise: Comments should be clear and to the point. Excessively long comments may be edited for clarity and length.
Use appropriate formatting: Do not use all caps unnecessarily. Comments may include HTML formatting for readability.

Other Considerations

Be professional and respectful: Please be mindful of your content, even when commending anonymously.
Comments may be edited: I reserve the right to remove or edit any comments that violate these guidelines. My edits will be noted.
Complaints about IOA: This is not the appropriate forum to lodge formal complaints against the International Ombuds Association.
Guest editorials: Please email me directly to discuss a guest editorial offering a longer, more in-depth perspective on a topic related to the organizational ombuds profession