The Ombuds Blog: Berea College Appoints First Ombuds

October 02, 2026

Berea College Appoints First Ombuds

Anovia Slaughter has been selected as the inaugural Ombuds for the highly ranked, private liberal arts college in Kentucky. Slaughter, who previously served as the inaugural University Ombuds at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, began her new position in August 2026. The full-time position serves Berea faculty and staff and follows IOA standards. It reports to the college president and does not serve Berea's approximately 1,500 students.

Slaughter comes to Berea after two years as UTC's first full-time University Ombuds. She is an experienced mediator and dispute resolution practitioner, having served as a Tennessee Rule 31 family/domestic and civil law mediator. She graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and earned a master's degree at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and a PhD in at Walden University. (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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October 02, 2026

Berea College Appoints First Ombuds

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