Part of IOA's current and continued strategic work is ensuring that “Ombuds have the capacity and tools to position themselves as essential contributors and trusted advisors in their organizations.” A lot of our work at the board and committee level has worked to equip our members in accurately and appropriately identifying our value and uniqueness for our visitors, organizations, and the broader world. We often accomplish this through our educational programming. 

With that in mind, I’ve been thinking a lot about our annual conference this year. For many in our community, the periodic virtual conference allows the opportunity to participate and connect in ways that they wouldn’t be able to, whether because of distance, funding, or circumstance. 

Throughout our keynotes, our concurrent sessions, and connecting in Gathertown, attendees were engaged with the thought leadership in our Zoom rooms. Those who were able to attend agree. A preliminary review of the conference feedback shows that people enjoyed the conference, even though, as a community, we have a preference for gathering together in person.

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 13th to 15th 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.

The IOA is teaming up with the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution to produce two applied learning tracks that will take place on Wednesday, 15 April 2026, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM ET. These sessions will close out IOA’s Annual Conference and launch the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution’s Spring Conference.  

Led by IOA President Jenn Mahony and ABA Section of Dispute Resolution Chair Liz Hill, this virtual event brings together experienced professionals from across the dispute resolution landscape.  

IOA is looking for members who have specific skills in the following areas to co-facilitate these sessions. We will select two facilitators/instructors - one for each track to work with the facilitator/instructor selected by the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution. For those interested, please email [email protected] by Wednesday, 12 November. Please attach your CV/resume and detail your experience training in either area. Details about these sessions are below.