Job Posting: SOS Children's Villages, Lebanon

The Austria-based international development organization for children is hiring a National Ombuds to be based in Lebanon. As part of a team of Ombuds, the position will report to a Regional Ombuds (to be named soon). The initial appointment will be for twelve months.

Job Posting: City of Philadelphia

Philadelphia is hiring an Assistant Employee Ombudsperson. The new position will report to the inaugural Employee Ombudsperson, Shakeya Foreman. The full-time position will be responsible for case management, data collection, and administrative tasks. The work will be hybrid with some in-office days.

Job Posting: Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

The state agency headquartered in Austin is hiring an Employee Ombudsman. This is a hybrid/remote position with aspects of both Organizational and Classical Ombuds work. In addition to providing conflict management and dispute resolution services, the position also: "Conducts analysis of workplace situations by interviewing employees, conducting investigations, and fact finding. Prepares final decisions or reports and provides findings to appropriate chain of command or Human Resources." Travel may be required.

Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Launches Ombuds Office

Scott C. Williamson has been named the inaugural Ombuds for LPTS, a seminary in Kentucky affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. Williamson will serve all members of the 170 year old seminary, including about 130 students. A Charter for the office states that the Ombuds will practice to IOA standards, although there is no confidentiality for sexual misconduct covered by Title IX. The LPTS Ombuds is a part-time position that reports to the Seminary President. 

Job Posting: U.S. Census Bureau

The Census Bureau is growing the Ombuds program and is hiring an Associate Ombuds. The full-time position will be based either in the Washington, D.C. metro area (Suitland, MD) or in the Louisville metro area (Jeffersonville, Indiana). The position will report to the Census Bureau Ombuds, Bill Maurer, CO-OP, and join two Associate Ombuds, Julie Smith and Chris Vermillion. Occasional travel may be required and telework may also be possible. Relocation expenses may be paid.

UC Santa Barbara Selects an Ombuds

In April of this year, Lana Smith-Hale joined the Office of the Ombuds at the University of California Santa Barbara as an Assistant Ombuds. She follows Lise Prisarojn in the position and joins Campus Ombuds, Caroline Adams, and Associate Ombuds, David Rasch and Don Lubach. Smith-Hale is responsible for undergraduate student cases and programming, office administration, and managing the UCSB Ombuds Instagram account.

Job Posting: International Organization for Migration

The intergovernmental organization that promotes international cooperation on migration issues is hiring an Ombudsperson. The full-time position is based in Geneva and reports to the IOM Director General. Rogelio Bernal has served in the role for the past several years. The initial term is for one year with the possibility of extensions. The posting indicates a starting date "as soon as possible."

McGill University Names Interim Ombuds

Christopher Moraes has been appointed the Interim Student Ombudsperson for the public university in Montreal. He follows Patricia Faison Hewlin, who served three years of a five-year mandate in the part-time position. Morales will also continue teaching as an Associate Professor of Engineering. He heads an office that serves over 40,000 students and joins Carmela Parzanese, the Assistant to the Ombudsperson. It is not clear how long he will serve in the interim role.

North Carolina Regional Ombuds Group Gathers in Chapel Hill

Elon University's Faculty Ombudsperson Jeff Clark was one of several Ombuds who attended the Fall meeting of the North Carolina Regional Ombuds Group in Chapel Hill last week. Ombuds from the central region of the state representing universities, government agencies, and private corporations met to share their experiences and for professional development. (Elon News.)

Job Posting: University of Waterloo

The public research university Ontario has opened a search for a full-time Student Ombudsperson.  The position will serve approximately 40,000 students. UWaterloo closed its Office of the Ombudsperson, which served the entire campus in 2010. The position is expected to comply with ACCUO's professional standards. 

Independent Review Vindicates Former UCT Ombuds

Last month, an independent panel of retired judges and education and equity experts, issued a report on issues at the University of Cape Town in 2018 through 2022. The report revealed governance failures involving former Vice Chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng and other leaders. At the time, UCT's inaugural Ombud Zetu Makamandela-Mguqulwa was one of the very few voices raising concerns. After speaking out, she was publicly threatened with disciplinary charges and ultimately terminated. The new independent commission fully vindicates the Ombud.

Job Posting: University of Minnesota

The U of M is seeking its next Director of the Office for Conflict Resolution. The position provides leadership for an office that serves faculty, staff, and student workers, and reports to the Office for Equity and Diversity. The search will fill a position held by Tamar Gronvall since 2019 and who was recently appointed Minnesota's Commissioner of Administration. (Meanwhile, finn j. schneider continues as University Ombud and Director of the similarly-named but separate Student Conflict Resolution Center).

Saint Louis University Auditioning Faculty Ombuds

The private, Jesuit university in Missouri has appointed Lisa Israel as its first Interim Ombuds. For the past five years, Israel has been SLU's Medical School Ombudsperson, serving students, residents, and faculty. Details about the Faculty Ombuds pilot, including the duration, have not been published.

The Wildlife Society Renews its Conference Ombuds

Jen Graf Sims will return as the Conference Ombuds for the international wildlife stewardship association, a role she established in 2022. As conference Ombuds, Sims will IOA-compliant services for attendees and TWS members during its annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 5-9, 2023. Sims brings more than a decade of Ombuds experience to the role, including work at the University of Texas Austin, San Manuel Band of Indians, Ashford University, and the University of Hawai'i. (TWS News.)

Janet Eckhouse: Former Kaiser Permanente Ombuds

Janet Frearer Eckhouse, who served as a Kaiser HealthCare Ombuds/Mediator in Woodland Hills, California, from 2004 to 2009, passed away last week. After she retired from KP, she was a social and political activist in Southern California. (Cumberland Times News.)