The Ombuds Blog: 2026

April 01, 2026

Job Posting: Pennsylvania State University

The Public Ivy in Central Pennsylvania is seeking an inaugural Director for its University Ombuds Office for its flagship campus at University Park. Reporting to the Provost’s Chief of Staff, this full-time position will establish and lead a new Ombuds function serving faculty, staff, and postdoctoral scholars across a large, multi-campus system. The role reflects a hybrid “hub-and-spoke” model with both direct service and program oversight responsibilities, including developing protocols for unit ombuds and coordinating practices across campuses.

Glenn N. Crispell, a pioneer in the federal Ombuds sector, passed away on March 14, 2026. Crispell’s legacy was defined by his 63-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served as the agency's first-ever Ombudsman. In this role, and as the CIA’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Program Manager, he pioneered the use of neutral, confidential conflict resolution within one of the government’s most complex environments. A recipient of the Career Intelligence Medal and a nominee for the Trailblazer Award, Crispell was a trusted advisor to multiple Directors of Central Intelligence (and many others at the CIA, as reflected in comments to his obituary). (Money & King.)

Job Posting: World Health Organization, Egypt

The World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations agency for international public health, is seeking a Regional Ombudsman based in Cairo for its Eastern Mediterranean Region. This senior (P5) role provides informal conflict resolution services for staff, including mediation, trend analysis, and advising leadership on systemic issues. Consistent with WHO’s recent reaffirmation of its Ombuds function, the position operates without decision-making authority and is expected to support organizational learning, improve workplace climate, and promote early identification of concerns. It is not clear whether the position is currently vacant.

Tom A. Kosakowski, a University Ombuds and author of The Ombuds Blog, joined the Blessed Be Podcast (hosted by Robert Polanco, Dawn Sander, and Jacqueline Villafañe) to discuss career transitions and the skills that support navigating professional uncertainty. Kosakowski reflects on his own path and the broader relevance of Ombuds-informed practices beyond formal roles.

Palacký University Olomouc Appoints First Ombuds

On February 1, 2026, Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, the second oldest university in the Czech Republic, named Jaroslav Šotola as its inaugural University Ombudsman. In this new role, Sotola serves faculty from eight schools, staff, and 23,000 students, with concerns including bullying, discrimination, abuse of power, sexual harassment, and other conflicts. As the Ombuds, he provides confidential consultations and informal resolution support but does not adjudicate academic or employment matters.

Heather J. Erwin has joined the Ombuds Office at Iowa as a half-time Assistant Ombudsperson, reporting to University Ombuds Chanelle Reese. Erwin also serves as an Adjunct Faculty Member in the Department of Sociology and Criminology. In her Ombuds role, Erwin brings experience in conflict navigation and restorative practices.

Job Posting: United Nations, Lebanon

The United Nations Office of the Ombudsman and Mediation Services is seeking a Regional Ombudsman based in Beirut. The senior-level position leads a regional branch providing confidential, informal conflict resolution services for UN personnel across multiple field locations.

Job Posting: Denver Public Schools

DPS, the large urban public school district in Colorado with more than 90,000 students across nearly 200 schools, is hiring an Associate Ombudsperson. The full-time position will report to and support the District Ombudsperson, Antoinette Hudson, CO-OP, and provide services for employees, including coaching, mediation, and facilitation. The role also contributes to training, identifies systemic concerns.

Bathabile K. S. Mthombeni will serve as the on-site Ombuds for the Society for Cinema and Media Studies' conference on March 26-29, 2026, in Chicago. Mthombeni will serve as a resource for conference participants who have questions about the professional association's Code of Conduct. She will be available up to a year after the event. Mthombeni has been the Ombuds for Binghamton University since 2015, and has also served as conference Ombuds for Root & Shoot and the American Anthropological Association. (SCMS Ombuds.)

In November 2025, Universiteit van Amsterdam adopted new regulations for its Ombuds, which affirm core principles of independence, impartiality, and confidentiality. Under the framework, the Ombuds has a legal right to information, requiring cooperation from university bodies and access to relevant records, and is empowered to investigate allegations of unjust treatment and systemic social safety issues. The framework aligns with broader European higher education practices, emphasizing a more formal, high-authority Ombuds role focused on institutional accountability and administrative fairness.

Cal Poly Pomona Quietly Shutters Ombuds Office

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, has paused operations of its Office of Conflict Resolution and Ombuds just over a year after relaunching the program. A university spokesperson said the office is closed pending review. The closure came to light after the student newspaper inquired about a door sign indicating the office was not operating. The university has not issued a campus-wide announcement explaining the decision.

Job Posting: University of California San Diego

UCSD, the large public research university in La Jolla, is seeking a full-time Associate Ombudsperson (Ombudsperson 3) for a one-year appointment. The office serves faculty, staff, students (about 40,000), and members of the UCSD health system. The position is part of an established office led by Director/Campus Ombudsperson John Armijo, with Associate Ombuds Nicholas Raichart and Ombuds Sue Presley. The role includes managing cases of moderate complexity, conducting intake and assessment, and leading outreach and training.

SRCD has again retained MWI to provide Conference Ombuds services for its 2027 Biennial Meeting, which will take place April 8–10, 2027, in Atlanta, Georgia. The large, international conference is expected to draw more than 6,500 attendees from research, practice, and policy communities.

Job Posting: Kennestone Hospital

Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center is hiring its first Graduate Medical Education Ombudsman. The full-time position will serve residents, fellows, faculty, and program leadership across all GME programs within Wellstar Health System in and around Marietta, Georgia. The Ombuds is expected to report to the Office of Academic Affairs.

The European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education has announced details for its 21st annual conference at AGH University of Kraków on June 10-12, 2026. This year's theme is "New Developments in a Maturing Profession: Ombuds Skills and AI." Speakers will connect emerging issues in artificial intelligence with Ombuds work in higher education. The agenda is expected soon. Conference fees are €420 for members and €470 for non-members. Grants are available for Ombuds who are new to the field. (ENOHE Conf Info.)

On March 18, 2026, the U.S. Commerce Department posted an opening for an Associate Ombuds. The full-time, GS-15 position was based in the Washington, D.C. metro area and was consistent with past job openings. Mysteriously, the announcement was canceled the very next day. This would have been the first Ombuds hire in the Census Bureau in two and a half years. (USA Jobs.)

Georgetown University Student Ombuds Releases 2024-25 Annual Report

Georgetown's Student Ombuds, Daniela Brancaforte, reports that she served 377 student visitors in the 2024-25 academic year and logged 427.25 hours in consultations, group visits, and informal mediations. She conducted 26 outreach events, reflecting continued efforts to raise awareness of services across the campus community. The report highlights a wide range of student concerns, including wellbeing, evaluative relationships, and communication challenges, as well as questions arising in a rapidly changing academic and social environment. (Georgetown Student Ombuds 2024-25 Report.)

Job Posting: Davidson College

The private liberal arts college north of Charlotte, North Carolina, is seeking its first Ombuds. This temporary, part-time consultant will lead the program's initial setup. Key responsibilities include creating the Ombuds website, formal policies, and various outreach materials, and requires regular on-campus presence. The Ombuds will report to the College President and will serve faculty and staff, but not the 2,000 undergraduates.

The Connecticut Energy Efficiency Board (EEB), working with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, has issued a Request for Proposals for an independent Contractor Ombudsperson to support residential energy efficiency program contractors statewide. The engagement will cover an initial three-year term beginning January 2027, with the first year as a pilot period. Responsibilities include establishing a Charter, developing communication frameworks, tracking and synthesizing contractor concerns, and providing regular updates to the EEB on trends and systemic issues. The role is expected to require approximately 25–40 hours per month.

UPenns’s Deputy Ombuds Waged Jafer and University Ombuds Jennifer A. Pinto-Martin have released their 2024-25 annual report. The office reported 229 visitors, a 6% increase from the prior year, with staff comprising the largest share (38%), followed by faculty (21%) and graduate/professional students (17%). Employment-related concerns remained the most common (39%), followed by academic issues (33%).

Earlier this month, Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa became the Ombud for South Africa's second largest city. Her first public event celebrated World Consumer Rights Day. Several organizations supported the engagement of the new City Ombud, including the Western Cape Police Ombudsman, the Public Protector South Africa, Community Schemes Ombud Service, and the National Financial Ombud. Makamandela-Mguqulwa, the former inaugural Ombuds for the University of Cape Town, is wide recognized as a leading Ombuds in the region. In 2025, she was honored with the IOA President's Award for her work. (Nova News.)

ABA Dispute Resolution Section 2026 Skills Summit Includes Joint IOA Programming

The American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section will host its inaugural Skills Summit on April 15-16, 2026. The first day of the virtual event will overlap with the third day of the IOA annual conference, with Day 1 designed as a concurrent program bringing together Ombuds and other dispute resolution professionals. (Participants will need to register for only one or the other event, not both.) In addition, the Skills Summit has been pre-approved for Certified Organizational Ombuds Professional Development Hours.

Reese Ramos has launched Ombuds Academy, a new training program for aspiring and early-career Ombuds. Ramos, an Ombuds with more than 25 years of experience, said the program responds to demand for more practical insight into the realities of Ombuds practice and opportunities to connect with experienced practitioners. The Academy’s flagship course, Ombuds Fundamentals, introduces the principles, challenges, and day-to-day dynamics of Ombuds work and is priced at $1,295 for four half-day sessions.

Alice L. Walton School of Medicine Selects First Ombuds

AWSOM, the five-year-old, private, allopathic medical school in Bentonville, Arkansas, has appointed Kami Gollhofer as its first Ombuds. In this new, part-time role, she will serve a growing student body of almost 400 students and report to the Associate Dean of Student Affairs.

IOA is seeking a new Editor for the Journal of the International Ombuds Association, the profession’s peer-reviewed journal dedicated to scholarship and practice related to Organizational Ombuds. The call follows the decision by Shannon Lynn Burton, the University Ombudsperson at Michigan State University, to step down after a decade leading the publication. The IOA Board is inviting letters of interest from members interested in overseeing the journal’s continued development and supporting research and writing about the field.

The Austria-based international development organization for children is hiring National Ombuds in the capital city of Hargeisa. The full-time, 24-month contract position is expected to report to Nandisa Tilayi, the SOS Regional Ombuds for Eastern and Southern Africa.

David G. Schwartz, CO-OP, the UNLV Ombuds, has published his fifth annual report, summarizing his work during 2025. The office recorded 635 visitors and 952 total contacts, representing a 4.27% increase over 2024 and a 35.61% increase since 2023. Half of all visitors returned for more than one consultation.

American Psychology-Law Society Names First Conference Ombuds

David Carver has been selected to serve as the Conference Ombuds for the professional association also known as Division 41 of the American Psychological Association. He will offer Ombuds services to approximately 900 attendees during the AP-LS meeting in Reno, Nevada, on March 12-14, 2026. While serving on the American Psychological Association Council of Representatives, Carver led the successful effort to create an Ombuds Program for Council members in 2022.

The California Caucus of College and University Ombuds has announced dates for its 2026 gatherings. The virtual Summer Small Caucus will take place on June 25, 2026, offering members an opportunity to connect informally; details and registration information will be distributed on June 1. The 53rd Annual Cal Caucus take place November 8–11, 2026, at the Asilomar Hotel and Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California. A Request for Presentations will open April 6 and close May 4, and registration for the conference will open July 20.

Kira Nurieli, an Organizational Ombuds and conflict resolution consultant, joined the hosts of the Blessed Be Podcast to discuss how unexpected personal crises can reshape the way people experience and approach conflict. Reflecting on how sudden disruptions challenge assumptions about control and stability, Nurieli discusses how stress can intensify everyday tensions and how stepping away from routine responsibilities can foster greater presence, patience, and compassion in difficult conversations.

Asian Development Bank Announces Next Ombuds

The regional development bank in Metro Manila has selected Anje Schubert as its next Ombudsperson. She follows Wayne Blair, who served in the role for more than eight years. Schubert will lead an IOA-compliant office that provides Ombuds services to all ADB stakeholders and reports to the bank president. The initial appointment will be for three years and may be renewed once.

Job Posting: Harvard University Medical School

The private research university in Cambridge is hiring an Ombuds II to join an office headed by Melissa Brodrick that currently includes Adam Barak Kleinberger, and two consulting Ombuds, Tyler Smith and Howard Gadlin. The search will fill a position held by Lisa Neale, who is retiring.

Prince George's County Public Schools Names Ombuds

Thea Wilson has been appointed the new Ombudsperson for the large school district in Maryland. She will reopen an office that has been dormant for several years. In the full-time position, Wilson will serve as a neutral intermediary for PGCPS and the broader community, including more than 130,000 students and their families. As the Ombuds, she reports to the District Superintendent's Chief of Staff.

Bina Patel, an Ombuds, conflict resolution consultant, and IOA Board Member, is recruiting participants for a research study on leadership behaviors and employee accountability. The project is being conducted by graduate researchers in the Industrial & Organizational Psychology program at George Mason University and examines how employees perceive their manager’s leadership behaviors and expectations related to job performance.

Job Posting: South Dakota State University

The public university in Brookings has opened a search for its next Ombuds. The search will fill a position established in 2016 when Nicole Picconi became the university’s first Ombuds. The part-time (0.45 FTE) position is located within the Office of the President and serves all members of the campus community, including 12,000 students.

Evidence continues to emerge that indicates artificial intelligence is unlikely to replace Ombuds, at least in the short term:

ABA Ombuds Committee Signals Pivot to State Legislative Strategy

Following the adoption of Resolution 503 by the American Bar Association House of Delegates endorsing the Organizational Ombuds Practices Act, the ABA’s Ombuds Committee is shifting its focus to state-level strategy. The committee will devote its meeting on March 24, 2026, to a discussion of next steps for advancing the Act through state legislatures, marking the beginning of the effort to translate the ABA endorsement into legislation.

Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University is seeking a Senior Training Consultant/Associate Ombudsperson within its Human Resources Organizational Development and Training unit. The full-time role focuses primarily on leadership and workforce development training for faculty and staff while also serving as the Talent Management and Culture Associate Ombudsperson. (It is not clear whether the position reports to Linda R. Archer, the GME Ombudsperson for Virginia Health Sciences.)

NOMMO Sets Inaugural Meeting

The Network of Ombudsman and Mediators of Multilateral Organizations will hold its first meeting on February 9, 2026. Youssoupha Niang (Ombudsperson and Mediator at UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency) will convene the meeting at 15:00 CEST | 9:00 EDT. The session, "Bridging the Gap: 2025 Lessons as 2026 Blueprints," is intended to be the first step in establishing the new group. Panelists are expected to include Shireen Dodson (UN Ombudsman), Nadine Chapman (Manager of the World Bank Group Mediation Services), and Nicholas Diehl (Head of Ombuds for the Inter-American Development Bank). (LinkedIn.)

University of Waterloo Ombuds Releases Inaugural Annual Report

Whitney Barrett, the inaugural Ombuds at uWaterloo, has issued her first annual report, covering the office’s initial eight months of operation. The Office, which includes Associate Ombuds Sam Vandekerckhove, received 55 cases from January through August 2025 and reported an average of 8.28 connections per case, reflecting sustained engagement with visitors. The vast majority of visitors were students, consistent with the Office’s primary focus on supporting the student experience. The report also features four “stories from the threshold” illustrating the types of concerns brought forward. (Waterloo Ombuds 2025 Report.)

Sana Manjeshwar is the latest guest on a podcast by composer and pianist Leonardo Le San, "Modus Operandi." Manjeshwar talked about building and leading Ombuds programs for global organizations across six continents, drawing on her background in organizational psychology, employment litigation, human resources, coaching, mediation, and Ombuds practice. Manjeshwar is also a singer and the episode features one her first songs.

AORC and AOMA to Host Global Webinar on ADR Practices

The African Ombudsman Research Centre, in partnership with the African Ombudsman and Mediators Association, will host an international webinar, “Integrating Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) for Effective Case Resolution in Ombudsman Institutions,” on March 3, 2026. These are strategies that Ombuds of all types use routinely in their work.

Ombuds Author Examines Generational Conflict at Work

Merry Brown, the inaugural Ombuds at the University of Tennessee at Martin, has published a new book, Winning the Generation Wars at Work: Making (Your) Age an Asset, exploring how colleagues of different ages can collaborate more effectively. Drawing on her experience as a workplace mediator, Ombuds, and host of the podcast "Conflict Managed," Brown examines why generational tensions arise and argues that they are often rooted less in age than in assumptions, communication gaps, and unspoken expectations.

Job Posting: Emory University

The private research university in Atlanta is hiring its next University Ombudsperson. The posting states that the position reports to the University Ombudsperson and Senior Advisor to the President, a position held by Lynell Cadray since October 2019. Brian Green is the Associate Ombuds. The Emory Ombuds Office serves faculty, staff, and students, and practices to IOA standards.

A new podcast, "Ombuddy," hosted by Brooke Wichmann, spotlights the people and pathways behind Organizational Ombuds work. The show features conversations with Ombuds about what drew them to the role, formative moments in their practice, and the ideas that sustain them. Blending professional reflection with a relaxed format, Ombuddy aims to bring greater visibility to the work often done quietly and behind the scenes.

UC Berkeley Staff Ombuds Office Posts FY25 Report

The Staff Ombuds Office at the University of California, Berkeley has released its 2025 Annual Summary of Activity, reporting 234 cases and 13 facilitated discussions. More than a quarter of the cases were assessed as "a high organizational impact, involving senior leadership or serious policy concerns." Managed under contract with MWI, the office saw the addition of three new Ombuds last year: Tera Bisbee, Ralph Johnson, and Jen Sims; and the departure of Assistant Ombuds Shatika Ricketts.

An article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review argues that organizations must move beyond compliance-driven grievance systems to build real capacity for constructive conflict. In “Building Organizational Capacity for Constructive Conflict,” Jenny Yang and Rachel Godsil contend that while formal processes are necessary, they are often reactive and adversarial, discouraging early voice and eroding trust. Disagreement, they suggest, can be a source of learning and performance if organizations create safe, credible avenues for raising concerns.

Meet the Student Ombuds at Karolinska Institutet

In May 2025, Alexandra Kambler and Ingrid Öberg were appointed as the as Student Ombuds for the leading medical research university in Sweden. They are based within Medicinska Föreningen i Stockholm and serve about 6,500 students and 2,200 doctoral students, providing confidential, independent, and impartial support on matters including grade appeals, eligibility questions, conflicts, and disciplinary cases.

MWI will provide conference Ombuds services for the American Planning Association’s 2026 National Planning Conference, April 25–28, 2026, in Detroit, which is expected to draw more than 5,000 attendees. Nnena Odim returns for a fourth year as Conference Ombuds

University of Innsbruck Appoints Ombuds

Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck has appointed Milan Ončák as Ombudsperson for PhD students. The appointment establishes a new Ombuds function at the large research university in capital of Austria's Tyrol county.

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