The Coalition of Federal Ombudsman is seeking proposals for presentations at its 2026 Annual Conference, which will be held in Alexandria, Virginia, on September 25, 2026. The free, hybrid event focuses on the needs of Ombuds practitioners serving in the federal government, but welcomes presenters and attendees from across the profession and broader alternative dispute resolution community.
The small town east of Raleigh is looking at several organizational reforms including an Ombuds for employees, after a new report detailed exorbitant spending by town officials and a toxic workplace culture under former town manager. The business law firm of Womble Bond Dickinson produced a 272 page report that "includes recommendations intended to improve Town operations, the Town’s workplace environment, and the channels through which Town financial information is disseminated to the Town Council and Town residents."
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.
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.
The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, the DOE lab in Newport News, Virginia, has launched an Ombuds program, nearly a year after issuing a request for proposals seeking an external provider. The new program will be provided by Bultman Wilson Consulting, a Maryland-based human resources consulting firm led by Wiltina Wilson. The new Ombuds program will provide IOA-compliant services to about 700 lab employees and other scientific users for an initial initial contract term of five years.
Agriculture et Agroalimentaire Canada has appointed Jessica Norup as its new Workplace Wellness Ombuds. She succeeds Elianne Hall and joins Associate Ombuds Mireille Aubrey in the office, which provides services to employees of the federal agency that regulates agriculture in Canada.
The federal law enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security is hiring an Organizational Ombudsman. Based within the USSS Office of the Director, the Ombuds will (re)establish and manage a new Ombudsman Program for internal stakeholders to provide confidential and impartial assistance to employees and managers, informal conflict resolution, identification of systemic workplace issues, and advising agency leadership on organizational improvements.
The U.S. Department of Energy laboratory near Santa Fe, New Mexico, is hiring an Ombuds Specialist at level 3 or 4. The position reports to Ombuds Office Director Cindy Mazur. Depending on the qualifications of the selected candidate, additional responsibilities may be assigned at the higher level.
The governing board of the U.S. central bank is hiring an Assistant Ombuds in Washington, DC. This Executive Ombuds position: acts as facilitator for the fair and timely resolution of complaints related to the System’s regulatory activities; receives, reviews, and decides claims of retaliatory conduct by System staff; and reports to Board members and senior Board staff on issues that may have a significant impact on the System’s mission, activities, or reputation, including patterns of issues that occur in multiple complaints. In addition, there are collateral administrative duties. This is a hybrid position, with on-site cadence of about six times per month.
Alexandre St-Jean has been appointed the next Ombuds for Bureau du vérificateur général du Canada. He follows the inaugural Ombuds, Janet Campbell, who retired after six years in the role, and provides services to the department's 800 employees.
The county government in eastern Virginia is hiring a full-time “Assistant County Administrator/Organizational Ombuds.” Although the posting references the International Ombuds Association, the role combines Ombuds duties with senior executive responsibilities that appear incompatible with core Organizational Ombuds standards. The position leads the County’s business engagement and economic development efforts, including coordinating across departments, advising leadership on policy and strategy, guiding businesses through regulatory processes, and resolving stakeholder concerns.
These responsibilities involve operational decision-making and advocacy for organizational interests, which conflict with the independence, neutrality, and informality expected of an Organizational Ombuds—even if the function were intended to be part-time.
In February 2025, Lauren Manning Salomon became the second Ombuds for the public healthcare system for Harris County, Texas, joining the Managing Ombuds Director, Jai McBride-Calloway. Salomon assisting in providing Ombuds services to over 7,000 HHS employees across three hospitals and affiliated clinics. She has been with the health care provider since 2019 and has held positions
Manager of Talent & Workforce Strategies, Talent Program Manager, and Senior Organizational Development Consultant.
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.)
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.
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.)
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.
The New Jersey General Assembly is considering A1315, which would create a New Jersey Transfer Ombudsperson within the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education. (An identical bill is pending in the state senate.) The bill would authorize the Ombuds to assist students and public institutions with credit-transfer disputes, serve as an impartial third-party mediator upon request, review the statewide transfer agreement, and issue an annual public report. The bill has been referred to the Assembly Higher Education Committee.
The U.S. House of Representatives is considering a bill (H.R. 7435) that would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish an Intelligence Transparency and Oversight Program Office and an Intelligence Ombuds within the Department of Homeland Security. The proposal appears focused on intelligence-related transparency and oversight matters within DHS and has been referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.
The United States Ombudsman Association is seeking plenary and breakout session speakers for its 45th annual conference. The event is set for September 2-4 at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Acme, Michigan. Speakers should be interested in sharing their knowledge
and experience relevant to the Public Service Ombudsman profession and USOA membership is not required.
Earlier this week, Xusana Davis, the State of Vermont’s Executive Director of Racial Equity, submitted her annual report to the state legislature assessing progress on racial equity efforts. In that report, Davis proposes creating an independent, state-level Office of Collaborative Action and Ombuds Services. According to the report the new program would "fill an unserved gap between the portfolios of the Ethics Commission, the Human Rights Commission, the Chief Performance Office, the Chief Operating Officer, and the Department of Human Resources.
