Since July, the following US entities have created Organizational Ombudsman programs to serve the alternative dispute resolution needs of their stakeholders:

• Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles
• University of North Dakota in Fargo…

On September 12, 2013, two Organizational Ombuds with extensive international experience will present the next International Ombudsman Association webinar: "Strategies for Analyzing Cultural Components in Conflict." José Martínez-Aragón , United Nations Regional Ombudsman in Santiago, Chile, and David Talbot, Ombudsman for the World Bank Group in Bangkok, Thailan will review the theory of conflict and conflict…

IOA, the professional association for Organizational Ombuds, will offer a six-part, live webinar program on conflict management starting in August and running through March 2014.…

FINRA's Office of the Ombudsman is offering an opportunity for a graduate student to extern in its Rockville, MD office. The extern must be earning course credit and be able to work at least 15 hours a week during the Fall 2013 semester.

GSU's Office of the Ombudsperson is seeking submissions for the Third Annual CR Symposium, "Getting to Peace: Using Art as a Tool for Conflict Resolution," on Thursday, October 17, 2013. This one-day symposium will provide an opportunity for students and conflict resolution practitioners to network and showcase their current projects, as well as bring attention to their work nationally. In addition to workshop presentations, the Symposium will also feature an exhibition of art (including…

After several years of work and an extended national search, Connecticut's flagship public university has named Jim Wohl as the first University Ombuds.  The new program at UConn (which was the only "Public Ivy" without an Ombuds…

The International Ombudsman Association presents several training sessions for new and experienced Ombuds in Phoenix, Arizona on July 8 through 12, 2013. The programs include:

• Foundations of Organizational Ombudsman Practice (formerly Organizational Ombudsman 101), July 8-10
  
  This 2½-day course that covers the fundamentals of the Organizational Ombuds role. It provides basic information and training for the Organizational Ombudsman by emphasizing the…

The eleventh annual Summer Meeting of College and University Ombudspersons is set for July 28-29, 2013 at DePaul University in Chicago. This annual event provides an opportunity for academic Ombuds to become better acquainted, to share concerns specific to their professional environments, and to support and learn from each other’s experiences.



Before the 1½-day general meeting, organizers are offering a one-day New Academic Ombuds Workshop on Sunday. New this year is a special…

Although Organizational Ombuds have become an important embedded ADR tool for many organizations, legal protections for the profession remain uncertain.  Whether or not an Ombuds can successfully assert a privilege has not been extensively developed in case law and there are no statutes on point.  This is one reason why general and outside counsel are reluctant to support an Ombuds for their organization, despite the benefits.…

The U.S. Olympic Committee Athlete Ombudsman Office in Colorado Springs is seeking an intern to work on elite athlete education and the resolution of athlete disputes within the Olympic family. In addition to responding to athlete inquires and providing independent advice, the intern will also develop and assemble an athlete rights handbook. The internship pays $9.00 per hour and is open to students in law school or a graduate program in sports administration or mediation. (…

The professional association for Organizational Ombuds has announced the details of its 2013 writing competition.  Anyone who has not worked as an Ombuds is eligible to enter and topics may anything relevant to the Organizational Ombuds profession. The author of the winning article will receive a cash prize of $1,500 and will be invited to the IOA Annual Conference in April 2014 to receive the award. The winning article may also be published in the Journal of the IOA.



The format has…

The Arizona Winter Ombudsman Conference is slated for Thursday, January 31, 2013, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.  Salt River Project (SRP) Consumer Affairs is hosting the conference, which will be held at SRP Headquarters in Tempe.  Lunch will be provided by SRP and an agenda will follow.  The featured topic is, “Tips for dealing with people in crisis who are behaving irrationally.”

The Organizational Ombuds profession and individual practitioners enjoyed a good year.   The top ten stories of 2012 from the Ombuds Blog show that the profession continued to improve and expand.

[Runner Up] Among Other Things, Paula Broadwell Was an Ombuds -- Who know that one of the year's most intriguing newsmakers once…

The National Institutes of Health office for internal conflict resolution in Bethesda, MD is offering a full-time internship for the Summer of 2013. (Exact start and end dates are negotiable.) Under the supervision of an NIH mentor, the intern will focus on one major project and will observe and assist with individual consultation sessions; mediation processes; group facilitation; conflict resolution system development and…

The General Meeting of the NJAPM next week will offer an "Intro to Ombuds: the Profession & the People." Organizers promise a panel of distinguished Ombuds featuring International Ombudsman Association President Nicholas Diehl. In addition, there will be briefing on the new ABA Ombuds Task Force. The event takes place at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick on Wednesday, December 5, 2012, 6:00 pm – 8:15 pm.



NJAPM is the largest New Jersey mediation organization with over…

The Fortune 200, global oilfield services company headquartered in North Houston, Texas opened an Organizational Ombuds Office (“o3”) in September to serve employees in the U.S., and Trinidad and Tobago. The o3 team is led by a Principal Ombuds and includes an Ombuds, coordinator, and information specialist.



According to a company announcement, Baker Hughes chose to create the o3 from its ongoing interest in creating the best possible workplace and employee experience. To customize…

The just-released issue of the Journal of International Ombudsman Association looks at the concerns and challenges of solo Ombuds practice. (Many of the issues apply to other ADR sole practitioners.)  Editor, and solo practitioner himself, David Miller explains:

As if it were not difficult enough being in the centre of other people's storms, holding fast to principled interventions when interests and positions generate vortices of confusion and distress, so many…

The General Meeting of the NJAPM next week will offer an "Intro to Ombuds: the Profession & the People." Organizers promise a panel of distinguished Ombuds featuring IOA President Nicholas Diehl. In addition, there will be briefing on the new ABA Ombuds Task Force. NJAPM is the largest New Jersey mediation organization with over 450 members, and is the only organization in New Jersey that accredits mediators.

The event takes place at the New Jersey Law Center in New…

CoFO will hold its 11th Annual Conference on Monday, October 29, 2012, at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia. The event is open to those who are working as Ombuds in the Federal sector and anyone just interested in the role. Individuals thinking about creating the role within their agency are especially invited to attend.

The CoFO conference will feature three distinguished speakers:

• Charles L. Howard - Partner, Shipman and…