Julia Healy
HR Professional - Independent Consultant

Seasoned HR Professional & Aspiring Ombuds

As an aspiring Ombuds and seasoned HR professional, I wish to sincerely thank the IOA for giving me the amazing opportunity to attend the 2026 Annual Conference that was held virtually from the 13^thto 15^th of April. Through my work as an HR professional, I have experienced the powerful and very positive impact that an Organizational Ombuds work has had on both employees and organization.

The thought-provoking discussion during one of the sessions on how to make the invisible visible, resonated strongly with me. Many are unaware of what an Ombuds does and what value they bring to both employees and the organization. In my experience working as an HR professional, I have come to appreciate that the Organizational Ombuds is an invaluable resource to check the pulse of the organization, identify concerns and highlight trends through their reporting of anonymized data. This valuable information enables the organization to take proactive steps to address areas of concern, ensure that it has or develops clear policies and processes, and provides an opportunity to address grievances at the earliest stage to support retention, and to effectively mitigate risk and reputational damage.

Much still needs to be done to educate both employees and senior management of what an Organizational Ombuds does and how they work to provide clarity, build trust and support the invaluable work of the Ombuds. To promote the long-term sustainability of the Ombuds role, it is vital that employees and the senior leadership clearly understand and appreciate the invaluable benefits and return on investment that an Ombuds work brings.

By Allison Monyei Whaley, CO-OP®, President of the Board of Certification, and Ellen Miller, Executive Director of IOA. 

For those who attended last week’s conference, you likely had the pleasure of hearing the Mary Rowe Lecture delivered by Paul Sotoudeh, University Ombuds at the University of Rochester.

Among the many insights he shared was the compelling argument to elevate the global visibility of ombuds through a certification program that supports all ombuds, regardless of model or sector.  IOA has done just that when it re-imagined its CO-OP certification program by creating the new Ombuds Certification Program —an inclusive umbrella designed to expand certification opportunities across and within ombuds models. 

One of the priorities identified in IOA’s new strategic plan* is to make our website more user-friendly for the diverse audiences we serve. To support this effort, we’re seeking your input.

Please take a moment to complete this brief, five-question survey. Your feedback will help us redesign the site map and make content more accessible and intuitive.

 For more information about this project, please reach out to me.  And more details about our new strategic plan will be shared soon!  

Dear In Practice,

I have served in my current ombuds role for almost seven years and I’ve decided it’s time for a change - either an ombuds role elsewhere or something entirely different. I’ve updated my resume and cover letter but I’m at a loss as I try to identify professional references who can speak to my work as an ombuds. This is my first ombuds role and I have many excellent references from prior professional roles.

My best work as an ombuds has been behind the scenes with visitors, although I am quite visible and connected with mid-level managers and senior leaders (many of whom have been visitors themselves). May I ask a former visitor to serve as a reference? Should I ask leaders within my organization who know my skills and compliment my work?

Dear In Practice,

I’ve been an organizational ombuds for several years and demonstrating fidelity to the code of ethics is important to me. I am especially conscious of my duty to convey a sense of fairness and impartiality in the way I enact the role. At the same time, I have strong opinions and preferences about local and national political issues, and I care very much about upcoming elections. I believe I also have a duty to be civically engaged.

By, Ellen Miller
Executive Director - IOA

Following up from my posts regarding AI for Ombuds Messaging and Using AI to Help Explain the Role, below is a sample briefing memo for general counsel written in a tone that appreciates the legal risk framing of the audience. I have also included some additional comparisons that may be helpful in understanding the role as it relates to the legal function and those tasked with risk management and mitigation. As we previously noted, the majority of this work has been generated by an AI tool in response to specific queries, clarifications and corrections. It has been reviewed for accuracy and also slightly edited, but the majority is AI generated.  

Sample Briefing Memo 

Subject: Governance Design and Legal Risk Considerations for the Organizational Ombuds Function

By, Ellen Miller
Executive Director - IOA

As we shared in our previous post, Using AI to Help Explain the Role, AI can be a wonderful resource for ombuds when used appropriately for our work. In this series, I asked an AI tool to help us frame some talking points and was surprised at the precision of its response. When engaging with AI, you need to ask specific queries, specific follow up queries and also correct any information that is wrong with the responses so the platform learns. This response has been reviewed for accuracy and also slightly edited, but the majority of language is AI generated.  

Here is my initial prompt, How do we educate general counsel or HR directors who feel the role is duplicative or they do not like that it is confidential?  

After an extraordinary 10 years of service to the Journal of the International Ombuds Association (JIOA), Shannon Lynn Burton, Ph.D has decided to step down as Editor to focus on other work shaping the field. The Board of Directors is seeking Letters of Interest from those members who would like to apply. The position description includes the following experience and skills, and will be finalized by 12 March:

Experience:

• Familiarity with JIOA or other journal practice

• Need to be comfortable educating people on the writing and research process

Dear In Practice,

I spent the past year working with two members of a functional team who, with my assistance, have gone from being avowed enemies to collaborating colleagues. They landed in my office after their supervisor suggested the ombuds office as a resource for their escalating relational tensions.

AI can be a wonderful resource for ombuds when used properly and appropriately. Many find it to be a helpful editor or as a starting place when schedules are otherwise jammed, as long as no distinguishable or confidential information is uploaded in a query. To demonstrate this point, I asked an AI tool to help us articulate why ombuds are specifically unique in role and function compared to other functions.  Responses have been reviewed for accuracy and also slightly edited, but the majority of the language is AI generated. The exciting news is the extent the AI tool understands the role. 

Query 1: What makes an Organizational Ombuds unique from other organizational support like HR, or EAP: 

An Organizational Ombuds plays a very specific and distinct role inside an organization. While they may seem similar to HR or an EAP at first glance, their function, authority, and approach are fundamentally different. An Organizational Ombuds is an independent, neutral, confidential, and informal resource for employees (or members of an organization) to discuss concerns, conflicts, or ethical questions. They typically follow the standards of practice set by the International Ombuds Association, which emphasize Independence, Impartiality, Confidentiality and Informality. 

How an Organizational Ombuds Is Different from HR: 

Organizational Ombuds

Dear In Practice,

I have been on Facebook and LinkedIn for years. I’m new to Instagram and I’m having a great time curating my profile and feed. I appreciate how these platforms provide news, information, and easy connections - but participating in social media these days seems increasingly fraught.

By Tracey Brant COOP, PCC
Organizational Ombuds - Dartmouth College

She had been reassigned from a committee. That was the issue, at least on paper. But fifteen minutes into our conversation, I could feel something larger moving beneath her words.

The organizational impact seemed modest - someone else would step into her role and the committee’s work would continue. Yet her voice was sharp, her sentences quick. She kept returning to the same details, circling back to moments I thought we already explored. I clarified the issue. We talked through possible responses. Still, the conversation looped.

Thank you for participating in the brief survey on well-being that we circulated in November 2025. We appreciate your perspective! The results are shared below. To better understand the interests of our community on this topic, we will be taking additional steps to gather members’ input. First, please join an informal Community Connections group discussion on ombuds well-being on April 28 and/or April 29. Registration information for members is available here. Please contact Julie Muroff, IOA’s lead contact for this initiative, with any questions:  [email protected]

Results from November 2025 Well-being Survey 

(1) Overall, based on your definition of burnout, how would you rate your level of burnout?  Select only 1 answer from the 5 choices below:**
i. I enjoy my work. I have no symptoms of burnout.   56 ( >22%)
ii. Occasionally I am under stress, and I don’t always have as much energy as I once did, but I don’t feel burned out.   128 ( >51%)
iii. I am definitely burning out and have one or more symptoms of burnout, such as physical and emotional exhaustion.   53 (21%)
iv. The symptoms of burnout that I’m experiencing won’t go away. I think about frustration at work a lot.   7 ( <3%)
v. I feel completely burned out and often wonder if I can go on. I am at a point where I may need some changes or may need to seek some sort of help.   5 (2%)

The Journal of the International Ombuds Association (JIOA) is seeking to expand its database of peer reviewers. We invite experienced practitioners, scholars, and scholar-practitioners with expertise relevant to organizational ombuds practice to apply.

JIOA reviewers play a critical role in advancing the quality, rigor, and relevance of ombuds-related scholarship. Reviewers are asked to provide thoughtful, constructive, and confidential feedback to authors, supporting both scholarly integrity and the development of the field.

Prospective reviewers should be familiar with research method, professional writing, or applied scholarship relevant to ombuds work. Prior reviewing or publishing experience is welcome but not required.

Those interested in being considered for the reviewer pool are encouraged to review the JIOA Review Procedures and complete the reviewer application form at this link: https://forms.gle/Q8Q2W4LYWRDU1AEZ7.

Greetings Higher Education Colleagues,

My name is Laura Zuppo, and I am a Doctoral Candidate and Student-serving Ombuds at the University of South Florida. I am conducting a qualitative research study exploring the experiences of collateral or dual-role student-serving ombuds in higher education.

For the purposes of this study, a collateral or dual-role student ombuds is an individual who is directly employed by their institution and who serves students while also holding one or more additional roles or responsibilities on campus. Ombuds who also serve faculty, staff, and other constituents are invited to participate.

Organizational Ombuds offices are increasingly shaped by a range of structural and operational models that reflect shifting institutional needs, resource constraints, legal environments, and cultural contexts. From traditional in-house roles to embedded, collateral, outsourced, hybrid, regional, and shared-service approaches, the model through which organizational ombuds services are delivered carries significant implications for independence, accessibility, credibility, and ethical practice.

This special issue seeks to explore the evolving landscape of ombuds models and their impact on the theory and practice of the profession. We invite submissions that critically examine how different structural arrangements shape the work of ombuds and influence organizational trust, conflict engagement, and systems change.

We welcome manuscripts that address topics such as:

By Nadia Ferrara, PhD,
Ombuds - Indigenous Services Canada

It is a real honor for me as Ombuds to share these truths by Indigenous Elders from British Columbia, Canada. I met with them recently and they have created these videos to share with others their lived experiences, to ensure we listen and learn from our history. I think it is so critical as space creators and space holders to engage with humility and be open to learning. These videos speak to the principles of restorative justice and most importantly, speak to creating spaces that can nurture a sense of belongingness by feeling heard.

Kwasun Cultural Education Society was founded in 2024 on the initiative of 10 Coast Salish Elders and Knowledge Keepers intent on educating anyone interested in learning about Coast Salish cultural values and ways of being. The goal of the Elders was to encourage reconciliation: to create relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners for the betterment of Canadian society. Kwasun has hosted numerous workshops because, as the Elders say, "if we are going to turn this around, we have to go back to the teachings." They have presented to BC's Legislative Assembly staff, instructors and students at post-secondary institutions including University of Victoria, Vancouver Island University, Stz'uminus Native College, Pearson United World College, the RCMP, health care organizations including Parent Support Services of British Columbia and First Nations Health Authority among others. Unlike so many Reconciliation programs, Kwasun offers teachings and cultural lessons to youth and adults alike which are grounded in the language (Hul'q'umi'num'), land and ceremony. Kwasun is rooted in the notion that "important work is never done alone". Elders work together to represent and model their cultural knowledge, enacting their lessons in ways that learners can join in the work.

My name is Misha Teixido. I am a graduate student studying conflict resolution at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management of Brandeis University. In the final year of my master’s program, I am currently working on my master’s capstone, which is about ombuds attitudes toward field practices and impressions in the United States.

Those who engage with the field of ombuds work, whether as aspiring ombuds or with the intent to hire a conflict resolution expert, seek clarity for the expectations of the role they look to fill, such as understanding specialization or conduct to follow. The need for such clarity is a situation that, while initially presented as surface level—many professions have specializations within their respective fields—is more ambiguous in the ombuds world. The position of an official advocate for complaints and conflicts has existed for thousands of years, each holding a variety of responsibilities in numerous contexts, some of which are more formal than others. Many of these positions use the term ombuds, ombudsperson, or ombudsman to describe their role, fairly satisfying the etymology of the word that roughly translates to “representative” from Swedish. It must be noted, however, that each implementation of ombuds varies greatly, as the position fluctuates in scope and responsibility from organization to organization, government to government, and country to country, culminating in the diverse application of ombuds practices that most who work in the field of ombuds work are familiar with (e.g. advocate ombuds, classical, organizational, etc.).

With a position that contextually varies as much as an ombuds, it is critical to engage with the field to ensure that the understanding of the role progresses both internally and externally in a relatively uniform manner. The purpose of this research is to understand how ombuds assess their own personal practices as well as how they view the practices of the ombuds field in the United States as a whole, so as to better understand how the field of ombuds work is perceived internally in the United States. Questions about how the ombuds office one works is modeled and functions, as well as inquiries into how ombuds became introduced to the field of ombuds work are at the core of understanding current perceptions and practices of ombuds work in the United States. Scholarship reporting the history of the ombuds role, discerning types of ombuds offices and models from one another, and exploring implementation of ombuds design exists, but limited research has been done that analyzes the current view of ombuds practices in the United States as understood by ombuds themselves (Tompkins Byer 2017). The core benefit of this research is that it provides an opportunity for practicing ombuds to share their understanding of ombuds work in the American context. The information shared in this survey may provide benefits to public understanding of ombuds nationwide, and may contribute to the continued evolution and evaluation of ombuds work in the United States. Responses may lead to improved efficacy of ombuds offices, as well as overall strengthening of ombuds office functions. Additionally, information shared may contribute to making the ombuds field more accessible, both for aspiring ombuds as well as for organizations considering the implementation or use of an ombuds service. An aspiring ombuds myself, hearing from ombudspersons in the field will provide me with a stronger understanding of how the role of the ombuds varies in numerous contexts.

by Reese R(ai)mos
Director - University Ombuds Office, Virginia Tech

To understand where we’re heading, it helps to look back. Two decades ago, I read Ray Kurzweil’s The Singularity Is Near, where he predicted an exponential rise in technology that would culminate in artificial and human intelligence merging around 2045. Some called him unrealistic; others, like Bill Gates, praised his foresight. Whether you see him as a visionary or a dreamer, there’s no denying that AI is rapidly reshaping our world, and, for Ombuds, our profession.

Rather than debate the timing of the “singularity,” it’s more pressing to examine what AI is already doing to our practice. Across fields, technology is transforming how information is created, managed, and used. In July 2025, for example, a robot trained solely on surgical videos autonomously performed a major phase of a gallbladder removal at Johns Hopkins. That’s no longer science fiction, it’s our present.

As Ombuds, we often find ourselves supporting individuals and groups working in high-stakes, cross-functional, and/or interdisciplinary environments. These spaces can offer tremendous opportunities for innovation. These environments also frequently bring the interpersonal and structural challenges that lead people to our doors. Researchers, in particular, often work within complex collaborations that span departments, institutions, cultures, and differing funding expectations. When roles, expectations, or communication norms are unclear, relational strain can quickly appear. Today's complex research challenges demand effective teams, yet researchers rarely receive training in teamwork skills crucial for collaborative success. How to Succeed at Collaborative Research: A Practical Guide for Teams (L. Michelle Bennett, Howard Gadlin, and Sawsan Khuri (2025)) is a resource for us as Ombuds to help us understand and support those researchers that may come to our office.

Specifically, this book provides guidance that may help us support researchers with tools to build and sustain effective teams. Drawing on organizational psychology, team science and the authors’ own experience, it offers concrete practices for fostering collaborative innovation, managing diverse perspectives and achieving high-impact outcomes. The book is intended for researchers, administrators and facilitators seeking to build high-performing teams. with a special focus on enabling researchers to work effectively across different disciplines, organizations, and sectors to meet the evolving demands of complex research projects.

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This book spotlight is an effort of the Independent Voice to bring relevant resources to your attention. If you have resources that you feel our Ombuds colleagues will benefit from knowing, please send a message to [email protected] and we will look to share via this channel.