FORRT, a decentralized, international, volunteer-based community that advances open and reproducible research practices, has established a Confidential Advisor and Ombuds program. The inaugural Confidential Advisor is Ruth Van der Hallen and the inaugural Ombuds is Thomas Rhys Evans. Together, they will provide confidential and informal support for members of the organization and help address concerns affecting the FORRT community. (FORTT Confidential Advisor & Ombuds.)
The State University of New York at Stony Brook has expanded its Ombuds Office with the appointment of Alexis Rodgers as Stony Brook Medicine Ombuds. She joins Donna Buehler, who has served as University Ombuds since 2022, creating a two-person office serving distinct constituencies across the institution. Rodgers will serve Stony Brook Medicine, including hospitals, research facilities, and clinics, while Buehler will continue to serve the main campus and the rest of the university community. The two Ombuds will collaborate on workshops and other educational resources for the university.
North Carolina's flagship public research university has opened a search for its next University Ombuds and Director of the University Ombuds Office. The full-time position reports directly to the Chancellor and serves faculty, staff, students, administrators, and postdoctoral scholars across the university. The position is expected to begin in October 2026 and succeeds Dawn Osborne-Adams, who served as University Ombuds from 2018 until earlier this year. The successful candidate will join Josh Canzona, who is serving as Interim Ombuds, and Victoria Dowd, Assistant University Ombuds and Program Specialist.
A new webpage for Atlanta reveals that the city has appointed two Neighborhood Relations Managers to its Office of Neighborhood Ombuds: Amber Ware and Clyde Mitchell. As Neighborhood Relations Managers, they serve as External Ombuds for residents and neighborhood stakeholders with issues involving city government and programs.
The public university in Lexington has resumed its internal search for an Academic Ombud. The position may be filled by a tenured or emeriti faculty member who provides services to students with academic issues. UK had one of the first university Ombuds in the United States and 29 faculty have served in the position over the last five decades. Alice Turkington, Professor of Geography, has served several terms as the Academic Ombud since she was selected in 2021. The position reports to UK's provost and practices to IOA standards. (UK Provost News.)
The Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York, is hiring an Assistant Ombuds. The new, full-time position will join the University Ombuds, Bruce Lewenstein, and Assistant Ombuds, Maria Zambos. This is a new position and not a direct replacement for the role held by Ati Alipour, who moved recently to Harvard’s Ombuds Office. The Assistant Ombuds is an on-campus position that serves faculty, staff, and students (excluding Weill Cornell Medicine).
FEMA's Alternative Dispute Resolution Division in the Office of the Chief Counsel, is hiring for two positions at its headquarters in Washington, DC: an ADR Attorney-Advisor (a temporary CORE appointment) and a Supervisory ADR Attorney-Advisor (a permanent full-time appointment). The positions provide conflict management and organizational development services very similar to Ombuds work across FEMA. The ADR Attorney-Advisor is primarily a practitioner role focused on delivering services directly to clients and conducting legal analysis related to ADR systems and authorities. The Supervisory Attorney-Advisor combines ADR practice with significant management responsibilities, including supervising staff, assigning cases, managing workload, handling personnel matters, overseeing projects and committees, and helping shape division policy and strategy. Telework is available for both positions.
