About the Board of Certification for CO-OP®

The Board of Certification for Certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioners (Board of Certification) is the certifying body authorized to award the Certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner® (CO-OP®) credential. The mission of the Board of Certification is:
  • To identify the body of knowledge necessary to perform the organizational ombuds job;
  • To establish the level of experience and other eligibility requirements for certification and re-certification;
  • To encourage consistency of standards of practice for organizational ombuds practitioners;
  • To identify to their peers and to the public those organizational ombuds who have voluntarily sought and obtained certification; and
  • To promote the advancement of the organizational ombuds profession.

The Board of Certification is affiliated with the following organizations:

  • International Ombuds Association (IOA). IOA is the premier organization serving the organizational ombuds profession. The certification program for organizational ombuds practitioners was developed under the auspices of IOA over the course of five years of planning, seeking feedback from members, and assessing the results of a market survey. Although the Board of Certification is, and for the foreseeable future is expected to remain, a division of IOA, the Bylaws of the Board of Certification provide that the Board of Certification, not IOA or any other organization, has the sole discretion to manage and make all decisions relating to certification matters. Certification does not require membership in IOA, participation in IOA training, or attendance at IOA conferences.


Board Information & Policies


CO-OP® Board of Directors

President

Mollie Berg, CO-OP®
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Springfield, VA 
United States

Secretary | Liaison to IOA Board

Suzanne Diviney, CO-OP®
Pfizer Inc.
New York, NY
United States 

Treasurer

 

Dr. Amarah Khan, CO-OP®
City of Seattle, Office of the Employee Ombud
Seattle, WA 
United States

Director 

 

Kirsi Aulin, CO-OP®
University of Colorado, Boulder
Boulder, CO
United States

Director

 

Janet Martinez
Stanford Law School
Stanford, CA
United States

Director

 

Amy Brow, CO-OP®
FDIC
Chicago, IL United States

Director

 

Allison Whaley, CO-OP®, JD, SHRM - CP
Montgomery College
Piedmont, South Carolina
United States

 

 

*Officers of the Board of Certification are chosen from among the Board of Directors.


Ethics Statement: The Board of Certification of Organizational Ombuds Practitioners®, (CO-OP®) is dedicated to the advancement and recognition of the organizational ombuds profession by awarding a certification credential to those meeting specific requirements. Based on the traditions and values of organizational ombuds practice, the CO-OP® Board of Directors, as well as all participants in the governance of the Board of Certification, including members of committees and task forces, promote and engage in ethical conduct in the performance of their Board duties and in exercising their Ombuds role.