Universidad San Francisco de Quito Creates Ombuds Program for Students

The private liberal-arts university in Quito, Ecuador, has appointed Valentina Alejandra Lucio-Paredes Aulestia as its first-ever Ombudsperson. She assumed her duties in October 2019 and a website for her office debuted this week. The Office of the Ombudsman handles all student, parent, or members of the university community's complaints or concerns in a confidential and impartial manner. This office also provides advice on University policies, processes, and regulations. This is also the first university Ombuds in Ecuador.

Since 2017, Lucio-Paredes has also been a clinical psychologist at USFQ. Prior to that, she was a legal and political advisor to the National Assembly of Ecuador for over two years. She graduated from Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and earned a law degree at San Francisco de Quito University and a graduate diploma at Universidad de Buenos Aires. (USFQ Ombuds; LinkedIn.)