The Ombuds Blog: Ombuddy Podcast Interviews Mount Holyoake College Ombuds

July 16, 2026

Ombuddy Podcast Interviews Mount Holyoake College Ombuds

Vivian Hsu is the latest guest on Brooke Wichmann's podcast, "Ombuddy." Hsu, the Ombuds for Mount Holyoake since 2017, reflects on the personal and professional experiences that led her to Ombuds work and the skills she carries from her background in law and organizational consulting. Wichmann says that Hsu emphasized knowing what “hat” you are wearing and having the clarity and discipline to stay in the appropriate lane.

Here is the full description:

Vivian Hsu brings a rich and varied background to ombuds work, with experience as an employment attorney, mediator, consultant, and now Ombudsperson for Mount Holyoke College. In this episode, Brooke talks with Vivian about the life experiences that led her to the ombuds role, the skills she carries from legal and conflict resolution work, and what it means to support people through complex workplace and campus dynamics with clarity, care, and curiosity.

(Spotify; Apply Podcasts.)

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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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July 16, 2026

Ombuddy Podcast Interviews Mount Holyoake College Ombuds

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