• Ombudsman 101 (October 25-27) -- A 2½-day introductory training program that covers the basic functions and skills of Ombudsmanry using an interactive format includes role play and encourages questions and discussion.
• Ombudsman 101…

Perhaps it’s her big smile, the friendly eyes behind her wire-rimmed glasses or the way she doesn’t let a simple “I’m fine” pass without a follow-up question.

Judith Sullivan, 66, is a volunteer with the Coulee Region Volunteer Ombudsman Program for the Wisconsin Board on Aging and Long Term Care. Once a week she knocks on the doors of resident rooms at Bethany St. Joseph Care Center in La Crosse. She asks about the food, the staff and their…

Australia's first independent aircraft noise ombudsman will have his work cut out for him.

Transport Minister Anthony Albanese announced the appointment of Ron Brent to the position on Tuesday.Mr Brent will have the task of reviewing the handling of complaints about airport noise and the efficiency of community consultation…

• Building a Conflict Competent Organization Phase II: What Practitioners, Organizations, and the Conflict Resolution Profession Can Learn and Apply in the Workplace (Session 4.13) -- How ConEdison built organizational conflict competence and provided…

An interesting article today from USAToday.com which mentions some of the advantages to mediating a divorce:

No one keeps statistics on the number of mediated and collaborative divorces. But Zarzynski, during 31 years of practice, has seen the trend firsthand. When he started, mediated cases were rare. Ten years ago, he mediated about a dozen a year; last year, that number was 75.…

I guess when mediation fails, sometimes its the donut eaters that lose! :)

Contract negotiations between Teamsters Local 25 and Dunkin’ Donuts’ supplier Northeast DCP have reached an impasse, and both sides are bracing for a walkout, company and union officials say.



Even the presence of a federal mediator at a…

The professional association for Classical Ombuds (those ADR professionals that hew closest to the Ombudsman model started 200 years ago in Sweden), will hold its annual meeting in Dayton, Ohio, October 6-8, 2010. The theme, "Soaring to New Heights: Innovations in Ombudsmanship," emphasizes recent developments in the field. …

For those who do not know what I am talking about and those who do, watch the video below:



Read the article […

(Originally posted at Absolution Mediation: the musings of an aspiring mediator)

I have a dog, and she often runs around our…

Washington (CNN) -- BP has been trying to shut down an internal safety watchdog agency it set up under congressional pressure four years ago, according to sources close to the office and a leading congressman.

The Ombudsman Program was set up after a 2005 explosion at a BP refinery in Texas that killed 15 workers and a massive oil spill in Alaska the following year. Its chief, former federal judge Stanley Sporkin,…