CERN Welcomes New Ombuds

Marie-Luce Falipou has been named the new Ombuds for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (Organisation européenne pour la recherche nucléaire)in Switzerland. She is CERN's fifth Ombuds since the office was founded in 2010 and follows Laure Esteveny, who is retiring.

IOA Announces 2024 Honorees

At its annual conference last month, the International Ombuds Association announced its 2024 Trailblazer and President’s Award recipients. “There are so many talented ombuds serving their communities in so many vital ways,” said Alicia Booker, 2023 IOA President. “We are thrilled to honor them for all that they contribute to our profession, and for their extraordinary leadership,” added Sarah Klaper 2024 IOA President.

NASA Retains Two Ombuds Consultants

Brian Bloch and Elaine Shaw, CO-OP, have been selected to provide consulting services for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ombuds program. Together, they will provide training, develop materials and reports, manage a case management system, creating/analyze surveys, and provide policy and procedure support to 25-30 mostly collateral duty Ombuds. Their work comes through a contract between NASA and the McCammon Group, an ADR service provider that has recently added a panel of Ombuds, based in Richmond, Virginia. (McCammon PR.)

Job Posting: Clemson University

The public research university in Upstate South Carolina will expand its Ombuds office with the addition of an Associate Ombuds. The new, full-time position will report to the University Ombuds, Tessa Byer, CO-OP, and assisting in providing dispute resolution to faculty, staff, and students. (Gordon Halfacre is also a member of the office as the University Ombuds for Faculty and Students, and has a separate reporting line to the provost.)

Pan American Health Organization Selects Ombuds

In January 2024, Fernando Navarro Sánchez was appointed the World Health Organization's Regional Ombudsman for PAHO. He follows Bernardin Ndashimye and will serve an initial, renewable two-year term. As the Ombuds, Sanchez reports to PAHO's Deputy Director in Washington, DC, and provides services to employees in 27 country office following IOA standards.

Job Posting: Pennsylvania State University

Penn State has opened a search for an Assistant/Associate Dean for Graduate Student Academic Affairs and Professional Development. In addition to overseeing graduate student affairs, the position will also serve as "the university-wide ombudsperson, ensuring impartial and confidential resolution of student concerns." This broad description makes in unclear whether the position will replace the the Acting University Faculty Ombudsperson (Lisa Gatzke-Kopp, who was named in January) or the Graduate Student Ombuds (three faculty have served as collateral duty Ombuds for grad students since 2021: K.H. Fong, Deb Kerstetter, and Patrick Lee Plaisance). For the last two years, Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences has designated eight faculty as Ombuds for its graduate students and postdocs.

Carle Illinois College of Medicine Appoints First Ombuds

Ron Brewer has been introduced as the inaugural Ombudsperson for the "engineering-based" medical school of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He will serve over 200 students in the growing medical school. Brewer adds Ombuds duties to his continuing work as a Clinical Associate Professor of Biomedical and Translational Sciences. Brewer's office is only the second at UIUC; the Grainger College of Engineering has had an Ombuds since 2021.(Carle SOM Ombuds.)

ETH Zürich Adds Two Ombuds

According to an updated webpage, Jonas Nakonz and Annette Spiro have joined the Ombuds program at the public research university in Switzerland. The join Kathrin Teuscher and Margrit Leuthold, and fill positions vacated recently by Martin Hohmann (an External Ombuds), Gerhard Tröster, and Peter M. Frischknecht. Together, they serve over 30,000 faculty, staff, and students, and practice to IOA standards. (ETH Ombuds.)

Meet the Ombuds for One Acre Fund

Abah Etieno was appointed the inaugural Global Ombudsperson/Mediator for the Kenya-based nonprofit organization in February 2022. In this role, Etieno serves an international staff of more than 8,00, who support agricultural development programs in six Sub-Saharan African countries. She also serves on the DEI Council.

Job Posting (RFP): UN Funds and Programmes

The United Nations is seeking bids for a consultant to provide a review of Office of the Ombudsman for UN Funds and Programmes. The office is one of three components of the integrated Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services. It is a small office funded based on a cost-share agreement among the five participating UN organizations and currently has some staff presence in New York, Istanbul, Bangkok, and Dakar.

Job Posting: Zurich University of Applied Sciences

Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften in Winterthur, Switzerland, has opened a search for its first Ombudsperson. The part-time, contract position will establish a program to serve all of ZHAW's 3,700 employees. The Ombuds is expected to assist with workplace conflicts, including discrimination, sexual harassment and bullying, by offering individual advice to mediation. In addition, the Ombuds will make recommendations and prepare an annual written report. 

University of the Andes Selects Next Ombuds

The Rector at Universidad de los Andes, the private university Bogotá, Colombia, has announced the appointment of María Rengifo Fonnegra as the new Ombudsperson. She will serve for the next two years and follows Margarita Gómez Ordoñez, who served established the office in 2012. As the University Ombuds, Fonnegra will provide services to all members of the university community with academic, administrative or disciplinary concerns.

Longtime Grinnell College Ombuds to Retire

After nine years as Grinnell's inaugural Ombuds, Chinyere Ukabiala, CO-OP, will retire on June 20, 2024. College President Anne F. Harris said, “Chinyere’s legacy extends beyond her individual achievements to the lasting impact she has had on our campus culture. Her commitment to constructive problem-solving, effective communication, and conflict resolution has left an indelible mark on all those she has served.”

Job Posting (RFP): European Space Agency

The intergovernmental organization dedicated to space exploration and based in Paris is seeking proposals for its first Ethics Ombudsperson. The new Ombuds will "operate in an advisory capacity and be an independent contact point for individuals working at ESA, ... provide recommendations on addressing the allegations, under the applicable legal framework, to the individuals, the Director General (DG) and/or the relevant ESA Services, [and] provide an additional channel for solving issues, without formal decision-making powers." Services will be provided remotely from an ESA member state with some travel to ESA facilities. 

Journal of IOA Article Examines Circle Processes in Ombuds Work

Natalie C. Fleury is the author of the latest article in the Journal of the International Ombuds Association: "The Center Will Hold: An Overview of Circle Processes and Their Potential Use in Academic Medicine and Other Organizations." Fleury's article draws on her decade of experience as an Ombuds at the Medical College of Wisconsin to offer guidance to other practitioners.