Job Posting: Halliburton

The Halliburton Dispute Resolution Program in Houston is hiring a full-time Ombudsperson. The position will practice to IOA standards and report to Melinda Miner, Halliburton's Manager and Senior Ombudsman. Applicants must have an undergraduate degree in sociology, psychology or conflict resolution and a minimum of two years of experience in ADR, which includes experience in mediation and organizational ombudsman work and management experience.

University of Arizona to Resume Ombuds Committee

U of A has named Diana Simon the new Chair of the Ombuds Committee. The campus-wide program that provided Ombuds services through a network of faculty and staff volunteers for 18 years, was shut down in March 2021 due to Covid-related budget shortfalls. (Caitlan Hendrickson had been the Director of the UA Office of the Ombuds since 2015.) Earlier this year, Simon published paper that laid out arguments that could lead a federal court to find a privilege for an Organizational Ombuds (41 Tex. Rev. Litig. 33).

Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi Names New Faculty Ombuds

Steven D. Seidel has been appointed the next TAMU-CC Faculty Ombuds and will begin this fall. Seidel follows Andy Piker, who established the office in 2016. Seidel will serve over 600 members of the faculty, reports to the Faculty Senate executive committee and the Provost. The office practices to IOA standards with some significant exceptions to confidentiality, including: "allegations of discrimination, sexual harassment, related retaliation, sexual violence, fraud, waste, or abuse."

Job Posting: University of Toronto Scarborough

The large, public research university in Ontario is hiring an Assistant Secretary of the Governing Council & Ombuds Officer, a position currently held by Cindy Ferencz Hammond. The job has two roles and a dual reporting structure. The Assistant Secretary provides administrative support, advice, and information to the Governing Council on policies, precedents, and procedures for assigned Boards and Committees. In addition, as Ombuds Officer the position reports to the University Ombudsperson, Bruce Kidd, and serves as a primary contact for faculty, staff and students seeking assistance from the Office of the Ombudsperson.

University of California Merced Names Associate Ombuds

Jim Rudd Levy has been selected as the Associate Ombuds for the UC campus in Central California. He joins UC Merced's Campus Ombuds, Hector Escalante, and provides services to students, staff, and faculty at a rapidly-growing university.

Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine Announces First Ombuds

Angela Dash has been appointed the inaugural Ombuds Officer for the private medical school in Pasadena, California. In this new, part-time role, Dash will establish a program to provide services to students, faculty, and staff following IOA best practices. 

Job Posting: Asian Development Bank

The regional development bank based in Metro Manila, Philippines, is hiring an Associate Ombuds Programs Analyst. The full-time position reports to the ADB Ombuds, Wayne Blair, and will serve as the first point of contact and administrator for the office, and handle some Ombuds duties, including: data analysis, research, and report writing. The initial appointment will be for three years.

Texas State University Appoints First Staff Ombuds

This fall, Stella Silva will begin offering services as the first Staff Ombuds at Texas State. She joins Todd Jewell and Colleen Myles-Baltzly, who were selected to serve as Faculty Ombuds in June of this year. The two programs are not integrated, however. The Staff Ombuds office is located within the university's human resources department. Noentheless, the Staff Ombuds office generally operates to IOA standards.

UCLA Campus Ombuds Retires; Interim Appointed

Kathleen Canul, the Campus Ombudsperson at the University of California Los Angeles, retired in June after 15 years in the position. Prior to that, she was the University Ombudsperson at UC Irvine. Canul is continuing her work as a contract Ombuds for organizations including the American Chemical Society and Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Following her retirement, Thomas Griffin has been promoted to Interim Campus Ombuds and heads an office that includes Natalie A. Landau and Brenda Woods-Patin. A search for a permanent Campus Ombuds is expected, but details have not been announced.

Shearman & Sterling Appoints First Ombuds

The multinational, white shoe law firm headquartered in New York City has named Jonathan L. Greenblatt as its first Ombuds. The appointment, which was effective in April 2021, was announced earlier this year as part of the firm's summary of diversity and inclusion accomplishments.

The firm said:

Staff Endorses Proposed Ombuds at University of Pittsburgh

The Staff Council at Pitt has expressed support for a working group considering an Ombuds program at the university. The proposal comes out of the Faculty Assembly at Pitt, which is considering a centralized Ombuds program to serve all stakeholders. Currently, the public university has only a network of school-based collateral duty Ombuds that provide services to graduate students and postdocs. (University Times.)

IOA Selects Next Ombuds

Breanne Taylor has been appointed the next Ombuds for professional association for Organizational Ombuds. She succeeds succeed Elaine Shaw, CO-OP, who established the role in 2020, and will serve an initial one-year term. Taylor continues as the Associate Ombuds at Oregon State University, where she has worked for the past decade. Prior to that she was the Ombudsperson for Competition Not Conflict, a local youth sports organization. Taylor earned her Master's in Conflict and Dispute Resolution at Oregon State. She has been an active volunteer with Cal Caucus and speaker at IOA conferences. (IOA Blog.)

Mediate Podcast: Ombuds for Mediators

The Mediate.com Podcast, hosted by mediator Veronica Cravener, covers everything in the world of mediation: conflict resolution, best practices, ethics, technology, and business development. The latest episode offers, "An Introduction to the Ombuds Role for Mediators" with Chuck Doran, CO-OP. In the past year, Doran and his dispute resolution firm, MWI, have served as Ombuds for Iowa State University and CVS.

New Ombuds at Sam Houston State University Posts Charter

Falguni Mukherjee, who became the inaugural Ombudsperson for the public university in Huntsville, Texas, earlier this year has released the charter for her office. The document explicitly incorporate IOA's Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, but also designates the Ombuds as a Campus Security Authority under the Clery Act. On the other hand, the HSU Ombuds is not a mandated reporter for Title IX matters. (SHSU Ombuds Charter.)

Related posts: Sam Houston State University Names First Ombuds.

Job Posting (RFP): The Wildlife Society

The international non-profit association that promotes wildlife stewardship through science and education is seeking its first conference Ombuds. The contracted position will IOA-compliant services for attendees and TWS members during its Annual Conference in Spokane, Washington, November 6-10, 2022. The new Ombuds is being implemented as part of a broad set of reforms aimed at promoting and enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion within the society and the wildlife profession.