Journal of IOA Call for Papers: Ombuds and DEI

The Journal of the International Ombuds Association has issued a call for submissions for a special issue on: "The Ombud’s Office and Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging." Papers should be submitted by May 1, 2023. Here are more details from the editors, Jennifer Swann (Ombuds at Lehigh University) and Shannon Lynn Burton (Ombuds at Michigan State University):

Job Posting: Arizona College of Nursing

The for-profit college that offers BSN programs at 11 campuses across 8 states is hiring an Ombudsman. The full-time, remote job will serve students and report to the Senior Vice President for Student Affairs. The work is described as confidential and impartial. Applicants must have a Bachelor's degree and higher education experience. An MBA or relevant graduate degree preferred is preferred. No salary or application deadline indicated. (Arizona College Posting.)

New Ombuds Takes On Duties at University of Utah Health Sciences

Maureen A. Murtaugh has been named an Ombuds for the academic health care system based in Salt Lake City. She joins Casi A. Morales and follows Joan Sheetz in the position. Murtaugh and Morales serve more than 14,000 faculty and staff as part-time Ombuds. Murtaugh a Professor of Internal Medicine in Epidemiology and a researcher with the Huntsman Cancer Institute. She graduated from Syracuse University, and earned her PhD at the University of Connecticut. (University of Utah Health Ombuds.)

Job Posting: UC Santa Cruz

The University of California Santa Cruz has opened a search for an Ombuds. The full-time position restore a program that was shuttered in 2012, leaving UCSC as the only one of ten University of California campus without an Ombuds program. The Campus Ombuds will serve faculty, staff, and students, report to the campus chancellor, and operate to IOA standards. The posting indicates that eventually there will be other staff to supervise.

Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research Hires Expert Ombuds

Anu Rao has been named the inaugural Ombudsperson for CGIAR, the international partnership that coordinates organizations engaged in research about food security. As an external consultant, Rao will serve an initial six-month trial period, which may be extended. She will serve CGIAR's staff and consultants in Montpellier, France, Washington, DC, and globally, following IOA standards.

Job Re-Posting: University of Cape Town

South Africa's flagship public research university has reopened its search for a permanent Ombud. The search will fill a position established by Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa, CO-OP, and held on an interim basis by Ihron Rensburg for about a year. Meanwhile, UCT has hired Rashieda Khan as Assistant Ombud. The full-time position serves all members of the campus and will be appointed for an initial five-year term, with the possibility of renewal for a second term. The office practices to IOA standards.

Internship: United Nations, Switzerland

The Office of the UN Ombudsman and Mediation Services is accepting applications for an unpaid internship in its Geneva headquarters. The temporary position is full-time and will last at least three to six months. The intern will assist with outreach activities, data and report preparation, and research for training development.

Georgetown University Expands Ombuds Service to Graduate Students

A new website reveals that Georgetown's Ombuds, Daniela Brancaforte, is now assisting graduate students on the main campus at the private university. Brancaforte initially served only undergraduates when she established the Office of the Student Ombuds in April 2021. (Georgetown Grad Student Ombuds.)

Job Posting: York University

The large,  public research university in Toronto, Ontario, has opened a search for its next University Ombudsperson. The search will fill a position vacated by John D. McCamus, who served as Ombuds at York for over a decade and retired in November 2020. (Maureen Armstrong, York's former University Secretary and General Counsel, has been filling in as the Interim University Ombudsperson.) Reporting to the University President, the York Ombuds will serve faculty, staff', and students—over 62,000 stakeholders—as an independent, impartial, and confidential resource.

Job Posting: United Nations, Uganda

The United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services is hiring a Conflict Resolution Officer to be based in its Entebbe Regional Office. The position provides informal conflict resolution services to UN staff in Entebbe, as well as offices and missions in the region, and reports to the Regional Ombudsman, Selome Yifru.

Call for Proposals: IOA Ombuds Training

The International Ombuds Association is seeking proposals for two new, core course offerings: "Coaching with Emotional Intelligence" and "Cultural Understandings for Ombuds." Both courses will be presented virtually over three days in four-hour blocks for a total of 12 hours. IOA wants a developer will create each course, test teach it once, and make revisions based on feedback. Then the contract will be complete and IOA will own the course. 

Job Posting: Swedish Health Services

Seattle's largest nonprofit health provider, which operates five hospital campuses and a network of clinics in northwestern Washington state, is hiring a Patient Ombudsperson (Senior Patient Relations Coordinator). Ordinarily, Patient Ombuds are Classical Ombuds, but this fully-remote position is not. "Under the guidance of the Swedish Chief Compliance & Privacy Officer, the Patient Ombudsperson is a designated neutral conflict resolution professional who provides informal assistance to patients on a variety of issues and concerns" and "will adhere to the International Ombudsman Association's Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice." The duties are a curious mix of Organizational and Classical. 

Technical University of Munich Appoints Science Ombuds

Cristina Reiss and Wolfgang Domcke have been elected the new Ombudspersons for good scientific practice at Technische Universität München in Germany for three-year terms. They succeed Heiner Bub and Petra Marzin. Reiss, formerly full professor for Mathematics, and Domcke, former full professor for Theoretical Chemistry, are both TUM Emeriti of Excellence. In mutual agreement with the Employee Council, TUM also appointed Petra Marzin as additional ombudsperson for the TUM employees working under the tariff agreement of the German States (TV-L).

Job Posting: University of Alabama at Birmingham

The public university in Birmingham is hiring its next University Ombudsperson. The full-time professional will serve neutral and impartial dispute resolution practitioner at UAB for nearly 24,000 stakeholders, including faculty, staff, mentored graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows (but not the UAB medical campus). The Ombuds reports jointly to the Provost and CHRO. The search will fill a position recently vacated by the first University Ombuds, Alicia Booker.

Job Posting: United Nations, New York

The Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services is seeking an expert facilitator for Dialogues on Racism in the UN Workplace. The on-call and remote position facilitate and co-facilitate virtual dialogues in English and Spanish for UN stakeholders in different time zones. The work is expected to begin September 1, 2022 and last through the end of the calendar year, subject to the availability of funds.

Loyola Marymount University Designates VP of DEI as Ombuds

The private university in Los Angeles, California, has delegated Ombuds duties to its Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Emelyn A. dela Peña. In August 2020, LMU's Black Faculty and Staff Association presented a list of demands that included the creation of an Ombuds "external of Human Resources that focuses on protecting the labor rights of Black and people of color" at the university. Dela Pena was appointed the VP for DEI in December 2021 and the website for her office was updated recently to indicate that "she also serves as the university ombudsperson." 

Job Posting: UN Funds and Programmes, Senegal

The United Nations' global development network (which comprises UNDP / UNFPA / UNICEF/ UNOPS / UN Women) has an opening for an Ombudsman Specialist based in Dakar. The position reports to the Deputy Ombudsman for UN Funds and Programmes, Kentaro Kanyomozi. Frequent travel to UNDP field offices throughout Africa is required. The initial contract will be for two years, with the possibility of an extension.

UN Appoints Regional Ombuds for Latin America and Caribbean

Maria Montiel has joined the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services as the Regional Ombudsman based in Santiago, Chile. She provides informal conflict resolution services to all UN Secretariat personnel in the Latin American and Caribbean Region and follows Francisco Espejo Elgueta in the role. Montiel provides services in Spanish, English and French. A UN announcement also notes that she has more than 25 years of experience in informal conflict resolution. (UN Delegate.)

University of Würzburg Designates Science Ombuds

The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (Universität Würzburg), one of the oldest universities in Germany, has appointed seven professors to serve as Ombudspersons. The new program complies with the German Research Foundation's Proposals for Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice, which requires Ombuds for all institutions that seeking funding. The new University of Würzburg Ombuds are: Kristina Lorenz (Professor and Chair of Pharmacology and Toxicology); Christoph Maack (Professor and Chair of Translational Research); Thomas Haaf (Professor and Chair of Human Genetics); Petra Högger (Professor of Clinical Pharmacy and Chair of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry); Robert Hock (Faculty of Biology); Catrin Gersdorf (Chair of American Studies); and Andreas Göbel (Chair of Sociology). (Uni Wurtzburg Good Scientific Practice.)

Job Posting: United Nations, Democratic Republic of Congo

The United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services ("UNOMS") is hiring a Conflict Resolution Officer based in Goma. The current Regional Ombudsman is Tjitske de Jong, the former World Food Programme Ombudsman.

West Virginia University Picks Next Faculty Ombuds

Christine Schimmel has been selected as the new WVU Faculty Ombudsperson. She will serve a part-time, one-year appointment and follows Professor of Management, Jodi Goodman. Schimmel is an Associate Professor of Counseling and was selected through an internal process. As the Ombuds, she reports to WVU's provost and practices to IOA standards.

Job Posting: Northeastern Illinois University

The public state university in North Park, Chicago is seeking its next Ombuds. The search will fill a vacancy left by Tyler Smith, who returned to the National Institutes of Health after two years in the position. The NEIU Ombuds is a full-time, IOA compliant position that reports to the University President and serves faculty, staff, and 8,000 students. 

Registration Opens for Ombuds Day 2022

Registration is now open for the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution (ABA DR) Ombuds Day on October 13, 2022. This marks the fifth year recognizing Ombuds — an impactful profession that has existed for centuries yet remains relatively unknown and underutilized. This year’s event “Ombuds: Resilience, Respect, Resolve” is intended to reflect and include the dynamic and diverse range of its practitioners.

Job Posting: Loyola Academy Willamette

The private, Catholic college prep high school in the northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, is hiring its first School Ombudsman. The part-time position will serve over 300 faculty and staff members as an, "impartial, informal, independent, non-retaliatory fair, and ethical facilitator of the problem-solving process", including "mediation, facilitation, and negotiation while honoring the critical elements of an ombudsperson practice. (Loyola Academy Posting via LinkedIn.)

Northern Illinois University Selects Next Ombuds

Sandra Cox has been introduced as the new Ombudsperson for the public research university in DeKalb. She comes to the position from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, where she was Director of the Counseling Center for the the past eight years. Cox reports to the Office of the President and provides services to over 20,000 students, faculty, and staff. NIU President Lisa Freeman said, “Her experience working with stakeholders across higher education institutions has prepared her to help faculty, staff and students navigate the processes and procedures at the university.”

Texas A&M Names Staff Ombuds for College of Education and Human Development

Patrice French has been appointed the Staff Ombuds at TAMU's College of Education and Human Development. The Faculty Ombuds position for CEHD remains vacant. Previously, French was the Manager for the Office of Organizational Development and Diversity Initiatives. She has worked in higher education and social services for her entire career. French graduated from Texas Christian University, and earned an MSW at the University of Michigan and PhD at Texas A&M. (TAMU CEHD Ombuds; LinkedIn.)

Nova Southeastern University Names First Ombuds for its College of Arts and Sciences

Neil Katz has been appointed as the first Ombuds the Halmos College of Arts and Sciences and the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Research Center the private research university in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. As the Ombuds, Katz will serve faculty and staff following IOA standards. Meanwhile, he will continue as a faculty member in Nova's graduate Department of Conflict Resolution Studies. Katz is already well known in the Ombuds field for his research and consulting, especially as an author of a report on Federal Ombuds programs for the Administrative Conference of the U.S.

Job Posting: Bowdoin College

The private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine is hiring its first Ombuds. The part-time position will serve as a resource for its 1,100 employees. The position will report to Bowdon's president and practice to IOA standards.

Halliburton Ombuds Retires

In July, Halliburton's Manager and Senior Ombudsman, Melinda Miner, retired after more than three decades (her entire career) with the company. Miner became the Senior Ombuds and Manager of the Dispute Resolution Program in 2007. She has been a frequent speaker at IOA conferences and other professional associations. Nelita Hatch and Marie Neely continue as members of the office. (LinkedIn.)

Furman University Extends Ombuds Program to Staff

John Kemp has been named the first Staff Ombudsperson for the small, private, coeducational liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina. He joins Furman's Faculty Ombudsperson, Victoria Turgeon, who established the office in 2016. Kemp takes on Ombuds duties in addition to his full-time work as Senior Director of Planned and Major Gifts.

Baylor College of Medicine Expands Ombuds Program with Experienced Ombuds

Alicia Booker is the new Principal Ombuds for the private health sciences university in Houston, Texas. She joins Director and Ombuds, Melanie Jagneaux. Booker brings significant Ombuds experience: she was the first full-time Ombuds at the University of Alabama at Birmingham for the past two years and, prior to that, was the Associate Ombuds at the University of Cincinnati. Booker is also the President-Elect of the IOA Board of Directors.

ISD 622 in North St. Paul Launches Ombuds Program

Jamal Abdur-Salaam has been named the inaugural Ombudsperson for the public school district encompassing North St. Paul, Maplewood, and Oakdale, Minnesota. In this new role, Abdur-Salaam will "work with parents, community members and the school district to clarify and resolve questions, concerns and complaints in a fair and timely manner." District 622 is home to nearly 11,000 students in grades K-12. Abdur-Salaam comes to the position after a career in public education, most recently as an Assistant Principal in St. Paul.

U.S. Forest Service Announces First Ombuds

Mark Lewis has been appointed the inaugural Conflict Management Specialist Ombuds for the USFS. He will report to the Office of the Chief in the Office of Work Environment and Performance Office and serve about 30,000 Forest Service employees across the country. Lewis bring federal ADR experience from the Food and Drug Administration, where he has been a conflict resolution specialist in Maryland. (USDA On the Move.)

American Literary Translators Association Ombuds Returns

Caitlan Hendrickson will again serve as the annual conference Ombuds for the nonprofit arts membership association for literary translators. Hendrickson previously served as the Ombuds for the University of Arizona and currently also is an Ombuds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Tahirih Justice Center, and MWI's outsourced Ombud team. (YouTube.)

Job Posting: University of North Carolina at Greensboro

The public research university in central North Carolina has reposted its opening for an Ombuds. This is the fourth posting by UNCG: an earlier request for proposals in the fall of 2021 for an "Ombudsman" was extended and then closed without a contract being awarded; then in March 2022, the university opened a search for employee. This is a renewed posting for a full-time University Ombuds, who will report to the Provost and provide services to faculty and staff. (The initial RFP said the Ombuds would also serve students.) The job posting also indicates the potential for an additional part-time Ombuds staff and/or graduate assistants to be hired as services increase.

Job Posting: Financial Industry Regulatory Authority

The non-governmental organization that regulates member brokerage firms and exchange markets in the U.S., is hiring an Associate Director, Ombudsman. The full-time position reports to the FINRA Ombudsman, Sarah Gill, and can be based in one of 17 U.S. cities. In addition to managing conflicts and complaints, the position works with senior management and represents the office at industry events.

Penn State Names Faculty Ombuds

Larry Catá Backer has been elected the new University Faculty Ombudsperson at Penn State for a four-year term. He follows Mohamad A. Ansari, who served in the role for the past five years. Backer has been a member of the faculty since 2001 and is currently Professor of Law and International Affairs. He has held a range of elected and appointed administrative positions at the university.

Job Posting: California's Teacher Retirement System

CalSTRS, the largest teachers' retirement fund in the U.S. (and 11th largest pension fund in the world) is hiring a full-time Ombudsperson. The position serves nearly one million enrolled members, about 1,800 employees, and the general public. The job is based in West Sacramento and is eligible for hybrid work of 2-3 days a week. Earlier this year, the CalSTRS Ombuds program adopted IOA standards.

Job Posting: Seattle University

The private, Jesuit university in Washington state is hiring its next University Ombudsperson. The role has been significantly restructured since initially established as a part-time position serving faculty in 2013 by C. McKenna Lang. In October 2021, the Ombuds work was subsumed by the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Natasha Martin. Newly redefined, the Ombuds now will serve faculty and staff as a full-time employee reporting to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

University of West Florida Appoints Student Ombuds

Vannee Cao-Nguyen has been named the Student Ombuds for the public university in Pensacola. She takes on the role in addition to her duties as Associate Vice President for Academic Engagement and Student Affairs, which includes oversight of the Offices of Equity and Inclusion, Title IX, Equal Opportunity, Diversity Programs, and TRiO/Student Support Office. She is assisted by Randolph Scott.