Foundations of Organizational Ombudsman Practice Course

3-Day Course

8:00  a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday/Tuesday
8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Wednesday

This 101 style course covers the fundamentals of the organizational ombuds role based on the principles of confidentiality, neutrality, independence, and informality. Participants will learn how to work with the visitor to an office as well as how to act as a change agent within your organization. Practice key ombuds skills of listening, asking questions, clarifying, generating options, and moving to actions throughout the ombuds process. 

Read more about this learning opportunity below and explore the 102 style Core Course, Mediation Theory and Skills for the Organizational Ombudsman that will follow this training from 24–25 October 2019.

This course has been approved for 23.5 Professional Development Hours towards the CO-OP® Credential.

Registration

The October Foundations Course is now full. If you are still interested in attending the October Foundations Course, please complete our waitlist form.

Join October Foundations Waitlist

Bundle and Save! Save $200 on registration for the October Core Course "Mediation Theory and Skills for the Organizational Ombudsman" when you register for the October Foundations Course as well. If you are already registered for the October Foundations Course and you would like to add the Core Course to your registration, please email the IOA Office at [email protected].

On or Before 21 September 2019
IOA Members: $1,695 | Non-members: $1,795

After 21 September 2019
IOA Members: $1,795 | Non-members: $1,895

The course fee does not include travel expenses or the cost of accommodations. Housing arrangements should be made directly with the hotel once you’ve received a registration confirmation. Note: On-site registration is not permitted. You may ask to be placed on a waitlist if the course has reached full capacity.

To receive the member discount for this event, you must first become a member then proceed to event registration.

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Course Description 

This course covers the fundamentals of the organizational ombudsman role by emphasizing the principles of confidentiality, neutrality, independence, and informality. Learn how to work with the visitor to the office as well as how to act as a change agent within your organization. Practice key ombudsman skills of listening, asking questions, clarifying, generating options, and moving to actions throughout the ombuds process. In addition, an experienced and highly committed faculty of ombudsmen will share best practices around setting up an office and evaluating and communicating the effectiveness of the office.

As a result of this program you will learn:

• How the role, scope, and duties of today’s ombudsman began and evolved
• The four basic principles of the organizational ombudsman role: neutrality, independence, confidentiality, and informality
• Why confidentiality is essential to the practice and how to maintain confidentiality
• How to listen as a neutral, including effective techniques for interviewing and inquiring, reflective listening, reframing, identifying issues, and providing options
• How to manage and work with conflict by employing a battery of skills including listening, coaching, and negotiation techniques
• How to decide which intervention would be most effective and how to provide feedback to management
• How to set up and operate an ombudsman office, including the fundamentals of how to log concerns, report to management, and design reports to track issues
• How to align the ombudsman function with the mission, values, and culture of the organization
• How to promote the ombudsman role and function, including ways to gain and keep management support

Who should attend:

The course will benefit the recently appointed ombudsman, or anyone desiring to establish an ombudsman function in industry, government, higher education, and public or private social services agencies. 

This course applies to ombudsman programs in organizational settings. It does not address some features unique to other ombudsmen disciplines such as classical, patient advocate, or legislative ombudsman.

Course Limit: 30 participants

Prerequisites: None

This course is approved for 23.5 Professional Development Hours towards the CO-OP® Credential.

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Faculty

Donna Louden

Donna Louden is the ombuds for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and has been an organizational ombudsman since 2000. Prior to NREL, Donna was the associate director of the Ombuds Office at the University of Colorado, Boulder and also served as an ombuds at the University of California at Irvine. Donna is a member of IOA’s Professional Development Committee and one of the coordinators for the Foundations of Organizational Ombudsman Practice course. An accomplished trainer, Donna has offered workshops in the areas of advanced skills for ombudsmen, cross-cultural conflict management, and public dialogue. She has extensive experience in conflict management, coaching, and cross-cultural conflict. Additionally, she has instructed numerous students, visiting faculty, and business executives in cross-cultural awareness/competence prior to living or conducting business abroad. Donna holds a BA from Loyola Marymount University and an MA from California State University, Fullerton.​

Lynne Chaillat

Lynne Chaillat is McKinsey & Company’s ombud for Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Lynne joined McKinsey in 1994 and led professional development in the Paris office for over a decade. Lynne was appointed the ombud in 2010 for 50% of her capacity and has been splitting her time in other roles including people strategy, women's program, and learning & coaching programs for the senior executives of the organization. She is an active member of IOA’s Mentoring Committee. Lynne holds a degree in psychology. Before joining McKinsey, she worked for a crisis intervention hotline, as well as for the Kalamazoo State Psychiatric Hospital (men's locked unit), and at the Alvarado Hospital Psychiatric unit in San Diego. She helped found MESSAGE, a mothers’ support group in France for international families living in Paris.

Tom A. Kosakowski

Tom is the first University Ombuds for the Health Sciences Campus at the University of Southern California. In this role, he provides a range of conflict resolution services to administrators, faculty, staff, trainees, and students at two schools, five hospitals, clinics, and research facilities. Prior to establishing the office at USC, Tom served in a similar capacity as the Ombuds for the Health System at UCLA for 12 years. He also created the Ombuds Office at Claremont Graduate University and served as the Campus Ombuds at UC Riverside. He trained as a mediator with the LA County Bar Association and has mediated cases for the LA Superior Court. Tom is an active member of the International Ombudsman Association and served on its Board of Directors, including as President. Tom also publishes "The Ombuds Blog," an independent news site for the organizational ombuds profession. This is Tom's third career; he worked as an economist and attorney before becoming an ombuds.

Hector Escalante

Hector Escalante immigrated to America with his parents and sister when he was 2 years old. He grew up in Oxnard, California and then moved to central California when he was 15 years old. After graduating from high school, Hector enlisted in the Marine Corps and served his country for 6 years. Hector began a career in the cable tv industry and decided to go to college in his early 30s. He went on to earn two master’s degrees and a doctorate in education. Upon completing his master’s degrees, Hector served in various roles in higher education including being a faculty member, dean of students and director of academic affairs. He currently is the University of the Pacific inaugural Ombuds and also one of two ombuds for Earthjustice. Hector’s passions include treating all with fairness, dignity, and compassion. He is an avid triathlete and a life-long learner.

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