The Ombuds Blog: Houston City College Adds an Ombuds

April 20, 2026

Houston City College Adds an Ombuds

Lisa Crawford has joined the Office of the Ombudsman at HCC (previously known as Houston Community College). She joins Michael Edwards, who restarted the HCC Ombuds Office in early 2025. Together, they serve all constituents across multiple campuses, including over 52,000 students.

Crawford has worked for HCC for twelve years, most recently as the Director of Educational Policy. She also managed the execution of HCC's strategic plan between 2015 and 2024. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's from Valparaiso University, an MA from Prairie View A&M University, and EdD from the University of Houston. (LinkedIn.)

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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:

Brazil -- Ouvidor

Croatia -- pravobranitelji

France -- médiateur/defénseur

Germany/Austria -- Ombudspersonen and Ombudsleute

Italy -- difensore

Netherlands -- ombudspersoon

Norway -- ombudet

Poland -- Rzecznik

Portugal -- provedor

Russia -- омбудсмен

Spain -- ombudsman organizacional

Sweden -- studentombud

Switzerland -- ombudsmann

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April 20, 2026

Houston City College Adds an Ombuds

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