The Hollywood Commission Unveils Ombuds Service for Motion Picture Industry

Yesterday, the nonprofit headed by Anita Hill launched MyConnext, a program that will assist employees at five major entertainment organizations with concerns about workplace misconduct. The program is a direct response to the MeToo movement. In addition to an anonymous, online reporting tool, MyConnext is offering Ombuds services. Lillian Rivera is the initial Ombuds for MyConnext and long-time Ombuds Wokie Nwabueze is on the management committee. In the initial phase, MyConnext services will be available for members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) West, the International Alliance of Theatrical State Employees (IATSE), and the Directors Guild of American (DGA); and U.S.-based employees of Netflix, Amazon, and the Kennedy/Marshall Company. MyConnext services will supplement and not replace existing programs within these organizations. Details about the MyConnext Ombuds program are vague, but insiders report that the Ombuds will likely practice to IOA standards. (MyConnext; Variety; IndieWire; Deadline.)

Wokie Nwabueze is a workplace culture expert and has been the Ombuds Officer for Princeton University since 2011. Prior to that, she was vice president for ethics and employee resolution programs at Prudential Financial. She has also worked as an attorney at the law firm of Pillsbury Winthrop and as a Staff Developer for Effective Alternatives in Reconciliation Services. Nwabueze earned her AB from Wellesley College and a JD from Columbia University. (LinkedIn.)

Lillian Rivera has worked for the Hollywood Commission for the last two years and, most recently, was the Director of Education and Evaluation. Previously, she spent two decades with Hetrick-Martin Institute developing diversity and inclusion strategies for a variety of organizations including the New York City Department of Education, Con Edison, and Fossil. Rivera graduated from Rutgers University and earned an MPH at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. (LinkedIn.)

Updated 5/28/24: Wokie Nwabueze's role was corrected.

Related posts: Princeton Names Corporate Mediator to Serve as Next University Ombuds; Princeton Ombuds Launches Project to Help Women Share Their Stories; IOA Video Promotes Ombuds for Surfacing & Addressing Sexual Misconduct.