Job Posting: University of Wyoming

The public land-grant research university in Laramie has opened a search for its next Ombudsperson, who serves all campus constituents. The full-time position reports to the University President and practices to IOA standards. The office has been significantly upgraded (in terms of reporting line and scope of services) in the past year and a half under Nellie Haddad. The position is not eligible for remote work.

Sanofi Creates Global Ombuds Program

This month, the French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company has quietly created an Ombuds program for its 100,000 worldwide employees. Few details about the new Ombuds program have been made public, but a recent summary of the company's employee benefits and wellbeing initiatives, acknowledges the existence of an "Ombuds Office, an additional confidential, independent, impartial and informal Speak Up resource."  (Sanofi Employee Benefits.)

Job Re-Posting: Montgomery County Public Schools

The Montgomery County Board of Education in the DC suburb of Rockville, Maryland, has reopened its search for an Ombudsperson. This full-time position reports to the school board of Maryland's largest school district and serves parents, community members, 28,000 employees, and 160,000 students. (Ryvell D. Fitzpatrick, was the Ombuds for three and a half years and recently became the Director of the Board of Education for Prince George's County Public School.)

University of Pittsburgh Opens Internal Search for New Faculty Ombuds

The Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences (the liberal arts college at Pitt with 12,000 students) is seeking three Faculty Ombudsperson. They will join a new Ombuds Office that "will initially be staffed by a full-time director/staff ombudsperson, a graduate student ombudsperson and three faculty ombudspersons, one from each Dietrich School division." The part-time Faculty Ombuds (0.20 FTE) will serve a one-year term. They will be expected to participate in Ombuds training and join IOA.

IOA Returns as Sponsor for Clery Center 2024 Virtual Summit

For a second year in a row, the International Ombuds Association will be an official session sponsor of the Clery Center's Virtual Summit. This year's event will take place on September 12, 2024. IOA will sponsor a session, "Proactive Strategies for Responding to Campus Protests" (with presenters to be announced). The Clery Center is a national nonprofit dedicated to helping college and university officials meet the standards of the Jeanne Clery Act, which requires campuses to report information about crime. (NACMS Summit 2024.)

Job Posting: Unilever

The British multinational consumer goods company is hiring its first Global Ombuds Lead. Based in Kingston at the Unilever headquarters southwest of London, the position will establish a program for employees and other stakeholders with workplace concerns. It is not clear from the posting how large the program will become, but the company employs 128,000 people in dozens of countries. Travel is expected.

Orange County Schools Names First Ombuds

The Board of Education for the public school district in Hillsborough, North Carolina, named Franklin McCune as its first Employee Ombuds and Board Specialist, effective August 19, 2024. (Orange County is also home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.) In this new role, McCune will provide services to nearly 2,000 employees and give upward feedback to the Superintendent and Board. He will practice to IOA standards. 

University of New Mexico Selects Associate Ombuds

Last November, Heidi Ricci was hired as an Associate Ombuds with the UNM Ombuds Office. She joined Ombuds, JoEllen Ransom, CO-OP; Senior Associate Ombuds, Anne Lightsey, CO-OP; and Graduate Assistant Ombuds, Aasma Batool. Ricci adds Ombuds duties to her on-going work as a University Lecturer in the Communication & Journalism Department.

Chevron Ombuds to Speak at International Ombud Expo 2024 in Botswana

Sana Manjeshwar, the Global Ombuds Manager for Chevron, will be a featured speaker at the International Ombud Expo 2024 this week in Botswana. She present virtually with Ombuds from other sectors on “Advancing the Role and Impact of the Organizational Ombuds in Africa.” Also, the International Ombuds Association has stepped up as a sponsor for the conference. (LinkedIn; International Ombud Expo.)

Job Posting: University of Nevada Las Vegas

The large public research university in Nevada will expand its Ombuds Office with the hiring of a full-time Assistant Ombuds/Program Manger. The new position will report to UNLV's Ombuds, David G. Schwartz, who has run the program single-handedly since 2021, serving 35,000 campus stakeholders. The job will manage business operations for the Ombuds Office's and also provide Ombuds services to individual visitors and groups.

Job Posting: Western University of Health Sciences

The private medical university in Pomona, California, has opened a search for its first Ombudsperson. The full-time position will established a program to serve the entire campus community, including 3,700 students and over 2,000 employees. The Ombuds will report to the President and practice to IOA standards. Some travel to WesternU's campus in Lebanon, Oregon, is required. 

Northwestern University Adds an Associate Ombuds

Kamaria B. Porter has been hired as the first Associate Ombudsperson for the private research university north of Chicago. She will expand Northwestern's Office of the Ombudsperson and report directly to the University Ombuds, Sarah Klaper. Porter is expected to provide Ombuds services to faculty, staff, and students following IOA standards.

World Wildlife Fund Selects Next Ombuds

Susana Rodriguez has been appointed the Ombudsperson for WWF, the global conservation. She follows Gina Barbieri, who established the role in 2021. Rodriguez reports to the WWF Director General and International Board, and serves internal and external stakeholders. According to an announcement from WWF, she will take the Ombuds program "from its foundational design to its operational phase."

Meet the Ombuds for the National Association for Business Economics

Robyn B. Klinger has been appointed is the inaugural Ombuds for NABE, the international association for applied economics. (A webpage for an upcoming symposium says that NABE "recently retained" Klinger and the Terms of Reference is dated July 10, 2024; Klinger's LinkedIn profile, however, indicates that she has been serving in the role since 2019.) The NABE Ombuds serves the entire NABE community, including employees, conference participants, and other event attendees, and generally practices to IOA standards. 

USOA Elects 2024 Leadership

The United States Ombudsman Association announced its new Board of Directors and Chapter leaders. Directors serve two year terms and are elected by voting members of the Association. The new members of the Board are: