The Ombuds Blog: IOA Bestows 2025 President's Awards

April 16, 2025

IOA Bestows 2025 President's Awards

Last week, the International Ombuds Association Board President, Sarah Klaper, announced the 2025 President’s Award. The recipients were:

Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa for her courage as the inaugural Ombuds at the University of Cape Town and her volunteer leadership as the IOA Africa Regional Advisory Committee Chair; and

Jessica Kuchta-Miller for her legal analysis and advocacy on behalf of Ombuds with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the U.S. Department of Education.

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Organizational Ombuds

Organizational Ombuds serve as a confidential, independent, neutral and informal dispute resolution resource for a specific entity. They are accessible to a defined population and can advocate for fairness. These unique characteristics distinguish Organizational Ombuds from Classical Ombuds, mediators, arbitrators, and other alternative dispute resolution professionals. The term "Ombuds" is shorthand for "Ombudsman," "Ombudsperson" and "Ombuds Officer," which also are used widely.

Some other variants include:

Austria -- Ombudsstelle

Brazil -- Ouvidor

Croatia -- pravobranitelji

France -- médiateur/defénseur

Germany -- Ombudspersonen

Italy -- difensore

Netherlands -- ombudspersoon

Norway -- ombudet

Poland -- Rzecznik

Portugal -- provedor

Russia -- омбудсмен

Spain -- ombudsman organizacional

Sweden -- studentombud

Switzerland -- ombudsmann

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April 16, 2025

IOA Bestows 2025 President's Awards

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