Job Posting: Heinrich Böll Foundation

The German, Green-party affiliated political foundation (Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung) is hiring its first Central Ombudsperson. The half-time position is based in Cape Town, South Africa, and will serve an initial six-month appointment. The position will develop and manage a global Ombuds program that was established in 2023 and is comprised of 12 Regional Ombudspersons. According to a HBS whitepaper from May 2022, "The ombudsperson is obligated to neutrality and confidentiality" and "Ombudspersons do not undertake investigations (no investigation / internal audit) and do not take on the role of a judge." 

Missouri State University to Hire First Employee Ombuds

The public university in Springfield has opened a search for a Faculty or Staff Ombuds, a new position that will be available to all employees. The part-time (0.20 FTE) position will be part of the president's office and practice to IOA standards. The initial appointment will be for three years. 

Grand Rapids Schools Ombuds Launches Podcast

Maleika Joubert Brown, the inaugural Ombuds for Grand Rapids Public Schools in Michigan, has started her own podcast. The pod focuses on her work: "The Ombuds Outlook: Perspectives in Practice." The first episode explores how effective communication builds trust and connection, allowing people to move beyond transactional exchanges to transformational dialogue.

Job Posting: Washington State Education Ombuds

The Ombuds program that serves all of Washington's K-12 public schools is hiring an Associate Education Ombuds. The full-time, remote position is the first point of contact for most visitors and will co-lead an important triage process for cases and work with other Ombuds.

Hollywood Commission's Ombuds Program Now Available to Entire Motion Picture Industry

For the past year, MyConnext, has provided Ombuds services to a limited group of union members and production companies around Los Angeles with Lillian Rivera as the inaugural Ombuds. Today, the program is available to anyone in the motion picture industry, regardless of union status, from production assistants to producers. To manage the workload, Rivera is being joined by a consulting Ombuds, Hector Escalante Meza. (H'wood Reporter.)

IOA to Offer In-Person Foundations in Denmark

For the first time ever, the International Ombuds Association's signature training course will be offered in Copenhagen. This offers a unique opportunity to take this four-day training in person. The program is set for September 16-17 2025, with an additional virtual component. IOA has not announced details for the location of the in-person portion. Registration is now open and registration is capped at 36 participants.

Job Posting: International Organization for Migration, Senegal

The intergovernmental organization that promotes international cooperation on migration issues is hiring a Conflict Resolution Officer to be based in Dakar. The position is located within the IOM Office of the Ombudsperson and Mediation Services and assists staff members with employment issues following IOA standards. The contract is for nine months.

Another View of a High Profile University Ombuds Case

In 2017, Ombuds at ETH Zürich, the leading Swiss engineering and technology university, raised concerns about bullying by a prominent professor of astronomy. Despite the university's attempts to supress the feedback, the story became public and ETH eventually fired the professor (the only tenured faculty member ever fired by ETH) and closed her institute. Now, a blog post at Epistimi, a global nonprofit promoting women in STEMM, offers a counternarrative. In essence, the authors argue that the process initiated by the Ombuds was biased, opaque, and irregular. 

Virginia Tech Ombuds Featured on Two Podcasts

Both of Virginia Tech's Ombuds have been guests on podcasts recently. Bryan Hanson, VT's Graduate School Ombudsperson, was the guest on the National Association for Community Mediation's #Here2Hear podcast on April 17, 2025. (NAFCM YouTube.) Reese Ramos, VT's University Ombuds & Director, was a guest on the Blessed Be podcast on May 2, 2025. (Spotify.)

Correctional Service of Canada Names First Permanent Ombuds

Last fall, Bill Rasmus was introduced as the Ombuds for Workplace Well-being for Canada's correctional system, Service correctionnel du Canada. He follows Tammy Carroll, who was the acting Ombuds since January 2024. Ramus has worked worked in corrections for 35 years, with more than two decades at the institutional level in roles ranging from chaplain to institutional manager. For the past 13 years, he has been CSC's Director for Reintegration Services, which includes ethnocultural services, chaplaincy, and social programs. (CSC Commissioner's Update; LinkedIn.)

Journal of IOA: The Ombuds' Four Interdependent Standards

Two emeriti Ombuds, Mary Rowe and Bruce MacAllister, have collaborated on the latest article for the latest issue of the Journal of the International Ombuds Association. They explain why each of the four ethical standards are necessary and interdependent on the other standards for Organizational Ombuds. The full article, "The Unique—and Effective—Quartet of Standards of Practice of Organizational Ombuds: Each Standard is Necessary—and Requires the Other Three Standards," is now available online.

Exergen Corp Announces First Ombuds

The Massachusetts-based manufacturer of infrared measuring tools has announced the appointment of Bob Harris to the newly created role of International Ombudsman. According to an Exergen press release, Harris "will focus on identifying and resolving issues and challenges related to our products, field operations, and questions surrounding regulatory matters." It is not clear whether Harris will work with customer complaints or internal issues, and there is no externally available information at this time. 

Cases Jump for Staff Ombuds at Eindhoven University of Technology

Anna Soedira, the Ombudsperson for Staff at Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, says that she handled 106 cases between July 2023 and December 2024, more than a 20% increase from the prior 18-month period. Soedira's report was critical of the university, calling out especially institutional gaslighting, and offers several recommendations. A university spokesperson rebutted several of the assertions, but also acknowledges that the report will be discussed at the next University Council meeting on June 16, 2025. Soedira did not speak with the campus newspaper and said that the report speaks for itself. (TU/e Ombuds Report; TU/e Cursor.)

Journal of IOA: Communication Theory for Ombuds

Joshua Canzona, Associate Ombuds at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the author of a new article in the latest issue of the Journal of the International Ombuds Association. The paper suggests that Ombuds will benefit from communication theories related to organizational dynamics, uncertainty, and power relationships. The full article, "Communication Theory in the Ombuds Context: A Resource for Practitioners," is now available online.

Job Posting: University of Michigan–Dearborn

The UM campus near Detroit has opened a search for an Ombudsperson & Special Assistant to the Dean of Students. Duties for the full-time position are 75% Ombuds services for 8,000 students and 25% managing Dean of Students initiatives that are not student facing. Lee Savage has served as the Student Ombuds since 2019. Meanwhile, Jackie Bowman serves as the Staff Ombuds all of UM, and Patrick Beauchesne and Dale Thomson are the current Faculty Ombuds for Dearborn.