Job Posting: United Nations, New York

The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services is seeking a Conflict Resolution Officer for a temporary assignment that will last until March 30, 2021, with the potential for an extension. The position will report directly to the New York Regional Ombudsman, Lara Khalife Dagher, and will be under the general supervision of the Regional Coordinator.

Job Posting: Indiana State University

ISU is hiring its next Ombudsperson. The collateral-duty position also serves as Director of Sycamores Care, a campus-wide program that provides services for students in distress. "This position is charged with identifying and addressing student needs by managing Sycamores Care cases by providing services to promote academic achievement, personal and professional development and persistence to graduation [including] working with University staff and faculty as the student Ombudsperson to resolve student problems; mediating and resolving conflicts...." Until last summer, the position was held by Al Perone.

Job Posting: University of Maryland

The public research university in College Park, Maryland, is hiring a full-time Staff Ombuds Officer. Reporting to the Assistant President and Chief of Staff for UMD's flagship campus, the position provides Ombuds services to all staff. In addition, the Staff Ombuds serves as the Equity and Diversity Officer for the Office of the President" (which includes "oversight, management, and execution of fair, integrous employment searches in compliance with regulatory and University standards for the office and its central units").

American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies Names First Ombuds

H. Nyree Gray has been selected the first Ombuds for the academic society for historical humanities research. Gray is currently the Associate Vice President / Chief Civil Rights Officer at Claremont McKenna College in California.  Earlier this year. ASEC adopted a new Policy on Harassment, which called for an External Ombuds. The ethical standards for the ASEC Ombuds have not yet been published. 

Job Posting: Financial Industry Regulatory Authority

The non-governmental organization that regulates member brokerage firms and exchange markets in the U.S., is hiring its next Director for its Office of the Ombudsman.  Located in Rockville, MD, the full-time position reports to Cindy Foster, the VP and Ombudsman, and manages the office day-to-day. Some travel (up to 20%) is required.

Job Posting: Federal Maritime Commission

The independent U.S. agency that regulates oceanborne international transportation is hiring an Attorney-Advisor that serves as Director of Consumer Affairs & Dispute Resolution Services. The position will, among other duties, "Serve as the FMC's designated Senior Dispute Resolution Specialist under the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act and serve as the agency's Ombudsman." The job is based in Washington, DC and some travel is required. 

Webcast Highlights Work of Johnson Space Center Ombuds

A panel discussion about conflict resolution at NASA's center for human spaceflight featured Ombudsman Donna Blackshear-Reynolds. She provided an overview of her work and offered some conflict resolution tips. The NASA JSC Ombuds program serves about 3,200 employees and 11,000 contractors. Blackshear-Reynolds has been the Ombuds since 2010 and she also  is the Manager of Space Life Sciences Resources Management. (Glenn C. Lutz serves as the other, collateral-duty Ombuds.) (JSC Roundup.)

Job Posting: Twitter

The social media platform is hiring a Sr. Director Ombuds in San Francisco. The new position will build an Ombuds program for Twitter's 5,000 employees. "The ideal candidate will have proven experience and domain expertise as an ombudsperson at a corporate environment."

IOA Updates Clery Act Guidance for University Ombuds

This week, the International Ombudsman Association shared good news for college and university Ombuds. On October 9th, the U.S. Department of Education rescinded the guidance in its 2016 Clery Act Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting which had asserted that Ombuds "generally meet the criteria" for mandatory reporting of campus crimes. IOA provided links to the new guidance from the Department of Education and an analysis by IOA's Government & Policy Committee.

Internal Search for Next Ombuds at University of Illinois Springfield

The public university in Central Illinois has opened an internal search for its next Campus Ombuds. The position, which open only to tenured faculty members, was held most recently by Associate Professor Emerita of Business Administration, Laurel Newman. The UIS Ombuds serves only tenured and tenure-track faculty and Academic Professional staff. No compensation indicated. (JobzHQ; UIS Ombuds.)

Pacific Northwest College of Art Names First Ombuds and Ombuds Panel

The private fine arts and design college in Portland, Oregon has appointed its Chief Diversity Officer and Assistant Dean of Diversity and Inclusion, V. Maldonado, as its first Ombudsperson. Maldonado works with an Ombuds Panel, that currently includes: Darby Knox, Panel Chair and Vice President for Student Life; Quyen Le, Assistant Director International Office; Everette Rice, Campus Safety Manager; Jackson Seemayer, Assistant Director of Student Life; and Kat McAnalley, Coordinator of Student Life & Events. The PNCA Ombuds serves as a confidential and informal resource for 1,000 faculty, staff, and students. 

IOA Creates Course to Train New Ombuds Setting Up a Program

The International Ombudsman Association has unveiled a new online training program: "The Nuts & Bolts of Setting Up an Ombuds Office."  The four-hour course will be offered in two two-hour sessions on November 17 and 19, 2020. This training is geared for people who have not yet taken the IOA Foundation's course and will help new Ombuds who are establishing or recently created a new Ombuds Office. 

Rutgers Medical Campus Announces Network of Ombuds

Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences has appointed Ombudspersons for its students and house staff and Research Ombudspersons for "faculty and staff as well as students and housestaff on issues related to research." RBHS is the fourth Rutgers "campus" and includes eight schools and other programs acquired from the former University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, which had its own Ombuds program. The deans of each school appoint their respective Ombuds.

Cal Poly Pomona Will Not Replace Retiring University Ombuds

Lavada Austin is retiring after nearly a decade as the University Ombuds for California State Polytechnic University. The position capped a career as a psychologist in Southern California, including stints at UC Irvine and UC Riverside. Although routinely hailed as an important resource for the large public university, CPP President Soraya Coley said that the Ombuds Office would be discontinued.

Ombuds at University of Pennsylvania Report Surge in Cases During "Stressful" 2019-20 Year

Recapping a year that "brought many challenges to the Penn community and to the Office of the Ombuds," University Ombuds Jennifer A. Pinto-Martin and Associate Ombuds Marcia Martínez-Helfman report that their cases rose 8.7% in the 2019-20 academic year. University staff accounted for the largest proportion of visitors (45%), followed by faculty (24%), graduate and professional students (16%), undergraduate students (9%), post-doctorates (3%), and others (4%). in providing Ombuds services to over 40,000 faculty, staff, and students.

IOA Seeks to Update Ethical Framework for Organizational Ombuds

In an announcement sent to its members last week, the International Ombudsman Association revealed proposed new Ethical Principals and Standards of Practice. The revisions are the result of a four-year process and will be implemented after approval by the IOA Board of Directors. Before that, the Board will consider input from IOA members.

Job Posting: University of Luxembourg

Université du Luxembourg is hiring an Ombudsperson / Conciliateur. The position, which practices to IOA standards, will join a team that provides services to about 10,000 faculty, staff, and students at the public research university. The full-time, permanent position reports to the University's Governing Council. The University of Luxembourg established an Ombuds Committee in 2018, which currently consists of five members (who are also faculty): Serge Haan; Susanne Siebentritt; Oliver Glassl; Tonie Van Dam; and Gabor Wiese.

College of Wooster Announces First Ombuds

In a tweet today, Wooster's Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer said that Pat Romney has been named the first Faculty and Staff Ombudsperson for the private college in Ohio. On August 28, 2020, Wooster's President, Sarah Bolton, said that an Ombuds "will collaborate with the CDEIO and human resources to strengthen practices ensuring equity in evaluation, compensation, promotion and response to concerns for staff." Romney is a clinical psychologist and principal with Romney Associates, based in Amherst, Massachusetts. 

Strategic Management Society Creates an Ombuds Program

Dana Minbaeva has been named the first Ombudsperson for the international professional society for the advancement of strategic management. The SMS Ombuds, "receives and reviews concerns, suggestions and complaints, reviews them against already established rules, procedures, and practices, and, when outside established norms, investigates procedures and best practices as well as advises and mediates for all concerned." Minbaeva was appointed by the SMS Board of Directors for an initial two-year term. In 2022, the Ombuds will be elected by the 3,000 members of the Society.

Job Posting: HHMI Janelia Research Campus

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute research campus in Loudoun County, Virginia, is hiring its first Ombudsperson. The new full-time position will serve about 500 employees at the lab and practice to IOA standards.

2020 Cal Caucus Will be a Short, Virtual Event

Mindful of ongoing pandemic concerns, leaders of the California Caucus of College and University Ombuds will host a shortened, online event this year. The 47th annual event will take place on November 12, 2020. Registration is limited to 100 and is free. The Caucus is expected to fill up quickly and people will be added to a waitlist. 

Job Posting: Gallaudet University

The private university in Washington, D.C., will expand its Office of the Ombuds with the hiring of a full-time Associate Ombuds. The position will report to the University Ombuds, Liz Stone, CO-OP, and serve all stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, families of students, and alumni. 

Montgomery College Finds Next Ombuds

Allison Monyei Whaley, CO-OP, has been named the Ombuds for Employees for the public community college in Rockville, Maryland. She comes to the position after two years as the Ombuds for Staff at Clemson University. She will resume a program that had been on hiatus since the departure of Julie Schwartz Weber, last December. Whaley is a speaker at this week at VCU's National Conflict Resolution Day program.

Job Posting: Clemson University

The public university in South Carolina has opened a search for its next Ombuds for Staff. The search will fill a position held by Allison Monyei Whaley for the past two years. The Clemson Staff Ombuds serves about 4,000 employees and collaborates with the University Ombudsman for Faculty and Students, R. Gordon Halfacre and the Ombudsman Assistant, Glenda L. Dickson. It is a full-time position.

Crafting Solutions to Conflict Podcast Spotlights Chuck Howard

The Executive Director of the International Ombudsman Association sat down for a conversation with podcaster (and mediator and coach) Jane Beddall last week. Over the half hour chat, Howard talked about his own background and the history of the Ombuds field. It's a very good synopsis by one of the profession's leading experts. (Crafting Solutions Podcast.)

National Institutes of Health Names Next Ombudsman

Following a national search, Victor Voloshin has been selected as the third permanent director of the NIH Center for Cooperative Resolution and NIH Ombudsman. He starts later this fall. Voloshin is an established expert in workplace conflict management and comes to the NIH after a decade as the Chief Mediation Officer at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Voloshin will lead an office that includes five Ombuds and serves 18,0000 employees of world’s largest biomedical research funding organization. 

Working Group Recommends Two Full-Time Ombuds for Duke

This summer at Duke University, a Hate and Bias Working Group developed concrete response protocols to address a history of incidents on campus. A report from the working group was just released and includes a recommendation for two full-time Student Ombuds and one or two staff persons, practicing to IOA standards. 

VCU's Ombuds Programs a Week of Events for 2020 National Conflict Resolution Day

The eighth annual event hosted by Virginia Commonwealth University's Ombudsman, William King, has shifted to an online format and spans five days. New pre-recorded videos and resources will be made available each day from October 12 - 16, and is highlighted by a keynote address on Thursday, October 15 followed by an interactive Zoom session. This year's event schedule features discussions and resources about conflict resolution from VCU leaders and national experts. As usual, the event is free and open to the public.  

University of North Carolina Adds an Associate Ombuds

UNC Chapel Hill has selected Joshua Canzona as its newest Associate Ombuds. Canzona come from the UNC School of the Arts where he established the Ombuds Office in 2017. He joins Dawn Osborne-Adams, University Ombuds and Director, Laurie Mesibov, Associate University Ombuds, and Victoria Dowd, Assistant University Ombuds and Program Specialist.

IOA Seeks Nominations for 2021 Board of Directors

The International Ombudsman Association is seeking nominations for Directors who will serve a three-year term starting at the end of March 2021. Six directors have terms that expire: Steve Prevaux, CO-OP (Board VP); Roy Baroff, CO-OP; Suzanne Diviney, CO-OP; Jessica Kuchta-Miller, CO-OP; Sana Manjeshwar, CO-OP; and Mauricio (Reese) Ramos, CO-OP.

Over a Dozen States Commemorate Ombuds Day 2020

According to the ABA Ombuds Committee website, twelve states and the District of Columbia have issued proclamations marking the third annual Ombuds Day on October 8, 2020. 

These include: 

COFO Opens Registration for 2020 Conference

The Coalition of Federal Ombudsman has announced more details for its 2020 Annual Conference: "Supporting Others, Supporting Each Other." The virtual event will take place Friday, October 16, 2020, from 8:45 am to 5:15 pm (Eastern) and is free and open to all. The agenda is primarily aimed at federal ombuds practitioners of all models, but includes information and sessions which may be of interest to ombuds and ADR practitioners anywhere, as well as those interested in these fields. 

Job Posting: National Insurance Crime Bureau

The not-for-profit based in Des Plaines, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago) that fights insurance fraud and vehicle theft is hiring its first Ombudsman. The position "will provide confidential and informal assistance to the employees of the NICB in order to resolve disputes, listen to concerns, and to further the existing open communication in the organization." NCIB employs about 400 people. 

FCO/Osgoode to Offer Ombuds Certificate Programs Online in Early 2021

In response to pandemic restrictions, the Forum of Canadian Ombudsman and Osgoode Professional Development have delayed their Ombuds training programs and rescheduled them to early 2021.