IOA’s New Strategic Plan Signals a Shift in Priorities Through 2030

The International Ombuds Association has adopted a new five-year strategic direction, continuing a planning process that started in 2020. IOA’s “Strategic Direction 2021–2024,” identified four goals: Strengthening Ombuds’ capacity and tools; Increasing organizational leaders’ understanding and appreciation of the Ombuds function; Ensuring that IOA operated effectively and had sufficient financial resources; and Developing a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion and engagement. The “2026 Strategic Direction” retains those four broad goals but explicitly describes the change as one of different strategies and tactics.

IOA Announces Speakers for 2026 September Symposium

The International Ombuds Association has released the agenda for its 2026 September Symposium, "Reframing Power and Influence: Exploring Intentional Ombuds Sway and the Tension Around Influence."  The event for intermediate and advanced Ombuds practitioners will take place on September 30 and October 1, 2026, at the Red Cross Headquarters in Washington, DC. 

Call for Presenters: IOA 2027 Annual Conference

The International Ombuds Association is inviting presentation proposals for its 22nd Annual Conference, which will be held in Vancouver, BC, on March 15-17, 2027. The announcement include several significant changes from last year's process, including the addition of half- and full-day pre-conference programs and a possible Research Symposium on the last day of the conference.

Ombuds Sought for Interviews About Professional Association Needs

Julie Muroff is seeking Ombuds who have been members of IOA for at least one year to participate in confidential interviews about what Ombuds want and need from a professional association. The interviews will take 60 minutes or less and must be completed by August 14, 2026. 

Here is her full request: 

IOA Seeks Feedback on Final Draft of Standards of Practice

The International Ombuds Association has released the final draft of its revised Standards of Practice and a new accompanying Compendium for member review and comment by July 16, 2026. The revisions conclude a clarification review that began in 2025 and included recommendations from a Board-appointed task force, guided review sessions, and extensive member feedback. According to the IOA, the new Compendium is intended to provide additional guidance on interpreting and applying the Standards (meanwhile, while the review of the Code of Ethics has been paused until the Standards are finalized). This is likely to be the final opportunity for members to comment before the revised Standards are presented to the Board for adoption.

IOA and ABA Form Joint Taskforce for Ombuds Model Act

The International Ombuds Association and the American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution's Ombuds Committee have created a joint taskforce to coordinate future work on the proposed Organizational Ombuds Practices Act. The model legislation is intended to serve as a template that individual states may adopt, establishing a statutory framework for Ombuds offices and, if enacted by state legislatures, providing legal protections consistent with the IOA's Standards of Practice. The new taskforce will develop recommendations regarding next steps for advancing the proposal. 

IOA Announces First Cohort of Certified Programs

The International Ombuds Association has announced that five Ombuds offices have been certified under its new Program Certification initiative. According to IOA, the offices completed a rigorous review and evaluation process demonstrating alignment with IOA Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics, organizational integrity, and professional competency.

The newly certified offices are:

IOA Announces New Journal Editors

Laura Armstrong and Brent Epperson have been appointed the new editors of the Journal of the International Ombuds Association, the profession’s peer-reviewed journal. They take over from Shannon Lynn Burton, who led the publication for a decade.

ASAE Article Promotes Ombuds for Associations

IOA Executive Director Ellen Miller authored an article for the American Society of Association Executives highlighting the value of Ombuds for associations. In the piece, Miller explains that Ombuds can help associations address volunteer conflict, member disengagement, governance tensions, and workplace culture challenges. She describes Ombuds as helping organizations “mitigate risk, strengthen trust, and foster respectful, supportive environments.” The article appeared in ASAE’s Associations Now Plus, extending visibility for Ombuds to ASAE’s broad network of association executives and industry partners. 

IOA 2026 Trailblazer Award: Mary Rowe

At the conclusion of its annual conference today, the International Ombuds Association presented its Trailblazer Award to Mary Rowe. The IOA Board of Directors created the award in 2022 "for individuals who have devoted significant contributions to the organizational ombuds field over an extended period of time." Rowe was recognize for her work as a pioneer and one of the most influential Ombuds in the profession. Although she retired as an Ombuds in 2014, she continues to be active as a thought leader and the award was presented during her plenary remarks. (IOA Trailblazer.)

IOA's Ombuds Release 2025 Annual Report

The International Ombuds Association's Ombuds, Laura C. Smythe and Tyler S. Smith, reported increased engagement in 2025, handling 33 cases and 51 individual visits, up from 16 cases and 35 visits in 2024. They noted that many interactions followed the IOA Annual Conference, underscoring the role of in-person events in surfacing concerns. Most visitors were affiliated with academic institutions and had between two and ten years of experience. Cases were split between IOA-related concerns and issues arising in members’ home institutions.

ABA Dispute Resolution Section 2026 Skills Summit Includes Joint IOA Programming

The American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section will host its inaugural Skills Summit on April 15-16, 2026. The first day of the virtual event will overlap with the third day of the IOA annual conference, with Day 1 designed as a concurrent program bringing together Ombuds and other dispute resolution professionals. (Participants will need to register for only one or the other event, not both.) In addition, the Skills Summit has been pre-approved for Certified Organizational Ombuds Professional Development Hours. 

International Ombuds Association Seeks New Editor for JIOA

IOA is seeking a new Editor for the Journal of the International Ombuds Association, the profession’s peer-reviewed journal dedicated to scholarship and practice related to Organizational Ombuds. The call follows the decision by Shannon Lynn Burton, the University Ombudsperson at Michigan State University, to step down after a decade leading the publication. The IOA Board is inviting letters of interest from members interested in overseeing the journal’s continued development and supporting research and writing about the field. 

Save the Date: IOA September Symposium 2026

The International Ombuds Association has announced that its September Symposium will take place on September 30 and October 1, 2026, at the Red Cross Headquarters in Washington, DC. Further details will be posted when they become available. (IOA Events.)

IOA Foundations Course Coming to San Francisco and Ottawa in May 2026

The International Ombuds Association will offer its signature, in-person training only twice this year. (There are nine opportunities to take Foundations virtually.) The three-day training is set for May 4-6 in San Francisco, California, and May 13-15 in Ottawa, Ontario. Registration is now open and registration is capped at 36 participants for each course.

IOA Seeks Feedback on Revised SOPs and Code of Ethics

The International Ombuds Association Board of Directors has convened a task force to review professional Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics as part of the Board's regular review cycle. The task force shared its proposals on January 28 and now solicits feedback from members for input on the meaning, interpretation, and practice alignment of the proposed revisions. Online feedback sessions and regional meetings are offered over the next several weeks. In general, the revisions aim to better reflect the complexities of modern workplaces and to better integrate the primary ethical standards.

IOA Group Highlights Growth of K-12 Ombuds

The International Ombuds Association’s K–12 Ombuds Workgroup convened on January 15, 2026, to examine national trends in K–12 Ombuds services and their implications for public education. Monique Bookstein, Ombuds for Prince William County Public Schools, facilitated the meeting, which highlighted the continued expansion of K-12 Ombuds programs across the U.S. The workgroup noted that every state and territory now has at least one education Ombuds role, with rising case volume signaling increased reliance on Ombuds services. 

JIOA Call for Papers: Models for Ombuds Programs

The Journal of the International Ombuds Association is seeking articles for a special issue, "Organizational Ombuds Models: Structures, Strategies, and Implications for Practice." The issue will feature original research articles, case studies, theoretical perspectives, and practice-based insights from scholars and practitioners examining Ombuds program models across industries.

Journal of IOA: Managing Professional Conflicts Between Ombuds

The latest article in the Journal of the International Ombuds Association is "We’re Human, Too: Conflict Among Ombuds." The authors are Tessa Tompkins Byer, the University Ombuds at Clemson University, and Scott B. Cantor, an Ombuds for The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. They explore the underexamined issue of conflict between Ombuds professionals and provide practical strategies to normalize and manage these disputes effectively. The full article is now available online.

IOA Announces Agenda for 2026 Virtual Conference

The International Ombuds Association has posted details for its next annual conference. The online only event is set for April 13-15, 2026. The conference will be highlighted by keynote addresses by Paul Sotoudeh and M. Gerard (Jerry) Fromm. The conference starts each day at 8:00am Pacific. 

Here is the tentative conference agenda: