2024 Year in Review: Five Big Stories

This post explores a few stories from the past year that offer insights for the future of the Ombuds profession. From the expansion of Ombuds in Canada’s federal sector to evolving debates about the merits of embedded versus outsourced Ombuds, the field continues to adapt to shifting organizational and societal landscapes. One regulatory change — the U.S. Department of Education’s recognition of Ombuds as a confidential resource — highlighted growing institutional support for the role. Meanwhile, the surge of global student protests and the implications of a new U.S. presidential administration have tested the resilience and adaptability of Ombuds professionals.

International Civil Aviation Organization Selects Ombuds

Rasmus André has been appointed the next Ombuds for ICAO, the UN agency that coordinates and develops international air navigation. He reports directly to the ICAO Secretary General in Montreal and provides services to personnel, supervisors, and administrators with employment and workplace issues. Andre is expected to serve an initial two-year term. 

Call for Presenters: Centre for Informal Dispute Resolution 2025 Symposium

CIDR at Saint Paul University in Ottawa seeks presenters for its annual symposium set for May 6-7, 2025. This year, the theme is, "Building Better Workplaces: Toward Comprehensive Conflict Resolution Systems." The international and online event will bring together practitioners and researchers in conflict resolution. The organizers are professors at USP: Brent Epperson and Jean-François Rioux.

Journal of IOA, Mary Rowe Special Issue: The Sources of Ombuds' Power

Mary Rowe herself has contributed an article to the Journal of the International Ombuds Association's special issue her work. The article considers the many sources of power that an Ombuds wields within their organization. She explains, "Thinking about all the sources of power may also be useful to ombuds for themselves. It can help OOs in self-evaluations."

Job Posting: University of Washington

The Office of the Ombud at UW has opened a search for a new Associate Ombud for the School of Medicine. (The office consistently uses "Ombud" rather than "Ombuds.") The position will join an office with University Ombud Chuck Sloan and Associate Ombud Ashley Davis, with a secondary reporting line to the School of Medicine Dean. The full-time position will work with faculty, staff, and students, and is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Appoints Ombuds

Last month, Manda Noble-Green was named the inaugural Ombuds for IRCC, the federal department that administers immigration, refugees, and citizenship. IRRC had an internal Ombuds program from 2000 to 2005, when legislation converted it into an Informal Conflict Management System. Last year, IRRC conducted a study that recommended restoration of an Ombuds program to address systemic issues not mitigated by the ICMS. 

Utah Valley University Names First Faculty Ombuds

Natalie C. Grecu has been appointed the first Faculty Ombuds for the public university in Orem. Administratively, Grecu is within UVU's Office of Academic Affairs and she will serve nearly 3,000 faculty members. She supplements the work of Emily M. Taylor, UVU's Assistant Director of Conflict Resolution and University Ombudsman. Who has been providing services to faculty, staff, and students.

2024 Year in Review: Transitions

Every year, the Ombuds Blog attempts to recap the most important events from the profession. Traditionally, this begins with a survey of the people who retired and passed away, a recap of new and closed programs, and a summary of job postings. 

More qualitative posts will follow before the end of the year.

IOA Opens Nominations for 2025 Distinguished Emeriti Ombuds

The International Ombuds Association is asking its members to submit names for its annual Distinguished Emeritus Award. Each year, the IOA Board of Directors recognizes a small number of retired Ombuds for their outstanding and dedicated service to the association and to the Ombuds profession more broadly. The award was not given in 2024.

Briefing Materials Shed Light on Health Canada's Ombuds Program

The federal agency that oversees Canada's national health policy has released the briefing package for its new Deputy Minister. (Greg Orencsak who was appointed in August 2024.) The binder presents an overview of Health Canada organization and work, including its Center for Ombuds and Resolution. COR's Ombuds and Executive Director is Sylvie Richard, and her Associate Ombuds are Sarah Curry and Thierry Casademont. The summary explains COR's key functions, legislative and regulatory context, and budget. 

Working Papers from 2024 IOA Practice Survey Illustrate Ombuds Work

The research team behind the International Ombuds Association's biennial practice survey (Jennifer Schneider, Timothy Hedeen, Mary Rowe, and Hector Escalante Meza) has written a series of papers that provide further insights on the work of Organizational Ombuds. Four working look at some self-reported IOA qualitative data from practitioners. Three additional papers by Mary Rowe individually are about visitor stories. All are open for comment:

Virginia Tech Adds First Associate Ombuds

Geoffrey Adelsberg will join the University Ombuds Office at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in January 2025. He will work with Director & University Ombuds, Reese Ramos, as the first Associate Ombuds and provide services to all campus stakeholders.

Article Examines Work of Ombuds at University of Bologna

A paper published in the most recent edition of the Utrech Law Review examines dispute resolution processes at Università di Bologna, the world's oldest public research university. The article is "Innovative Approaches to Dispute Resolution in Academia: Insights from the University of Bologna" considers the work of the university's Student Ombudsman (currently Giuseppe Colonna, former magistrate, and President of the Court of Appeal of Bologna). The authors, Carolina Mancuso and Angela M. Felicetti, are both on the faculty at the university. 

Job Posting: Department of the Interior

The Department of the Interior's Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution is hiring an Organizational Ombuds in Arlington, Virginia. Unlike the posting last week, this is a term position for up to four years, with potential annual renewals. The position will join a team of Organizational Ombuds, including Sigal Shoham and Mary Chavez Rudolph. The position is eligible for telework and travel of up to 25% may be required. The posting also may be used to fill other similar positions.

National Institutes of Health Adds an Associate Ombuds

Michelle Arbid has been hired as an Associate Ombuds in the NIH Ombuds Office. She becomes a seventh person in the office lead by Victor Voloshin, which also includes Fernando Caetano, Elisa Enriquez, CO-OP, Toni Hawkins, and Tyler Smith.

IOA Posts Agenda for 2025 Annual Conference in Florida

The International Ombuds Association has opened registration for its 20th annual conference. The event is set for April 7-9, 2025 in Miami, Florida at the Hilton Miami Downtown. The conference is preceded by three days of training session. Registration is now open and IO has published the tentative conference agenda:

San Diego State University's Ombuds Retires

Darrell Hess, who has served as the Student Ombudsperson at California State University in San Diego since early 2019, retired this fall. Karla Ramirez, who has been the Assistant Student Ombuds since 2021, is containing to provide services to the campus. (SDSU Ombuds.)

Job Posting: United Nations, New York

The Office of the UN Ombudsman and Mediation Services (UNOMS) is seeking a Senior Mediator. The full-time position will lead the planning, organization, implementation, and evaluation of the mediation program in consultation and collaboration with the UNOMS Regional Ombuds. The position also provides training for UNOMS staff and helps with identifying trends and patterns in the workplace branches.

Meet the First Ombuds for Sutter Health

Earlier this year, the not-for-profit health system in Northern California contracted with MWI for Ombuds services. Ralph Johnson, Maureen Brodie, CO-OP, and Ellen Reardon, CO-OP, provide services to physicians and advanced practice clinicians at all eight of Sutter's medical groups. As with all of its contracts, MWI's Ombuds practice to IOA standards. (Sutter Health Ombuds.) 

GAUS Appoints First Group of Ombuds

The German collaborative research center that studies "Geometry and Arithmetic of Uniformized Structures" has named three inaugural Ombudspersons: Annette Werner; Marius Leonhardt; and Timo Richarz. Together, they assist over 120 prinicipal investigators, researchers, and fellows with concerns including misconduct, harassment, and interpersonal conflict. 

Cal Poly Pomona Announces Ombuds

After a year-long national search, California State Polytechnic University in Pomona has selected Mark Patterson as its Director of Conflict Resolution Services and University Ombuds, beginning January 6, 2025. He will report to the University President and will lead the development of a new program for students, faculty, and staff as part of the newly created organizational unit of People, Culture, and Institutional Affairs. The position reports directly to the university's president. 

Job Posting: Department of the Interior

The Department of the Interior's Office of Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution is hiring a Lead Conflict Management Specialist & Organizational Ombuds in Arlington, Virginia. The position will join a team of Organizational Ombuds, including Sigal Shoham and Mary Chavez Rudolph. (Tahirih Varner left CADR in July after five years as an Ombuds to take a position with the European Southern Observatory.) The position is eligible for telework and travel of up to 25% may be required. The posting also may be used to fill other similar positions.

University of Massachusetts Amherst Selects Next Ombuds

Colette Carmouche has been appointed the next permanent University Ombuds for the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system. She takes over a program that has been managed by MWI since July, following the departure of Interim University Ombuds, Lea Occhialini, at the end of 2023. Carmouche begins in February 2025 and will report to the chancellor's office. The UMass Ombuds Office serves over 38,000 faculty, staff, and students, and is expected to practice to IOA standards. Carmouche is expected to fill a vacant Associate Ombuds position sometime next year.

Podcast: Ropes & Gray Explores Role of Ombuds at Sanofi

The latest podcast from the large American multinational law firm's, "Culture & Compliance Chronicles," features an interview with Daniel Mayhew, Sanofi's Global Head of Organisational Justice and Smart Assurance. Mayhew talks about his career from law enforcement to the corporate world, emphasizing the importance of empathy in investigations and the role of organizational justice in fostering a fair and transparent workplace, including his work supporting the creation of an Ombuds program at Sanofi. 

Job Posting: Harvard University

The private research university in Cambridge is hiring an Ombuds I. The full-time position will join an office that includes Adam Barak Kleinberger and Lisa Neale, and headed by Melissa Brodrick. The search will fill a position held by Colette Carmouche. The hybrid position requires two to three days in the office per week.

Job Posting: Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA's Alternative Dispute Resolution Division in the Office of the Chief Counsel, Federal Emergency Management Agency is hiring a Supervisory ADR Advisor for Reservists. The position is intended for an experienced ADR professional who will serve as the first line supervisor for reservist ADR Advisors and as a key member of the ADR Field Operations cadre management team. This is a temporary, three-year position that could be extended. Michelle Arbid has held the position since October 2023. The position is based in Washington, DC. Occasional non-emergency travel to disaster locations may be required and telework may be available.

California State Monterey Bay Names Interim Ombuds

Mark Patterson has been selected as the Interim Ombuds for the the California State University on the Central Coast. He follows Johnny Armijo, who created the office in July 2023 and recently moved to the U.S. Department of State. Patterson was also the inaugural Ombuds for another Cal State University—CSU Channel Islands—where he served for five years.

IOA Calls for 2024 IOA Board Nominations

The International Ombuds Association is seeking self-nominations for its Board of Directors. Five member-elected directors will serve a three-year term starting in Spring 2025. Only self-nominations are accepted and must follow a two-step process. The first step, an attestation of eligibility, is due by January 5, 2025. The second step, a statement of candidacy, is due by January 25, 2025.

Australia Appoints First National Student Ombuds

Sarah Bendall has been named Australia's first independent National Student Ombudsman and will start taking new cases in February 2025. In this new role, she has a broad mandate to investigate student complaints and resolve disputes with universities, especially in cases of sexual assault and sexual harassment. Her office is within the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman, which oversees many federal agencies and corporations.

Revised Job Posting: Brookhaven National Lab

The U.S. Department of Energy laboratory located in Long Island, New York, is has reopened the search for its next Ombudsperson. (Susan Foster has served in the position since 2011.) The job description has been significantly revised. In January 2024, the posting said that the Lab Ombuds would be required maintain permanent records about individual visitors who raised issues of physical harm, violations of law or policy (including Title VII, sexual harassment, or DOE orders and regulations).

Job Postings: U.S. Department of State

The Office of the Ombudsman at the State Department continues to build out its Office of the Ombuds and is currently seeking to add three new positions: Associate Ombuds; Lead Associate Ombuds; and Special Assistant. All three full-time positions will will report to the State Department Ombuds, Jeanne Juliao, and join a team including Johnny Armijo, Eric Kasik, and Elizabeth Stone, CO-OP. The job descriptions are somewhat vague, but all are expected to provide Ombuds services to Department employees with workplace conflicts. Occasional travel is required and there is an opportunity for telework.

Job Posting: International Organization for Migration, Kenya

The intergovernmental organization that promotes international cooperation on migration issues is hiring a Respectful Workplace Coordinator in Nairobi. The position is located within the IOM Office of the Ombudsperson and Mediation Services and assists staff members with employment issues following IOA standards. The contract is for one year, with a potential for extension. The posting indicates the starting date is "as soon as possible."

Job Posting: United Nations, Congo

The Office of the UN Ombudsman and Mediation Services is seeking a Regional Ombudsman for a temporary appointment (a position currently held by Tjitske de Jong). The position will lead the Regional Ombudsman’s Office in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, which is one of eight regional branches of UNOMS. The Regional Ombudsman reports directly to the UNOMS Chief of Service and works under the general supervision of the UN Ombudsman. The position is expected to start in January 2025 and last six months.

Society for Research in Child Development Retains MWI for 2025 Conference

SRCD has announced that MWI will serve as the Ombuds provider for its 2025 Biennial Meeting, set to take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (The position was established in 2021 by Kathleen Canul.) This decision follows SRCD’s September 2024 request for proposals to identify a new Conference Ombuds. Jai Calloway will be onsite at the meeting to offer confidential, impartial, informal, and independent support to participants in alignment with IOA standards.