- About IOA
- About Ombuds
- Membership
- Events & Training
- Certification
- Resources
- Publications
|
|
| Tuesday, 30 September | Session |
| 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM ET |
Welcome Jenn Mahony (Boston Children's Hospital) and Ellen Miller (IOA Executive Director) |
| 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM ET |
Coffee Keynote: Thriving Amid Change: Leveraging Ombuds Strengths for Lasting Value Sana Manjeshwar (OmbudSana International), Adam Learman Pfizer), Thomas Hamton (MARS), and Carolyn Esposito (AllianceBernstein) This presentation will provide conference attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the ROI of Ombuds programs and equip them with the tools to advocate for their implementation in their own organizations. We invite conference attendees to join us in exploring the transformative potential of Ombuds programs. By recognizing and quantifying their value, organizations can foster more resilient and adaptive workplaces, ultimately driving success in an ever-evolving landscape.
|
| 12:00 PM - 12:15 PM ET |
Break |
| 12:15 PM - 1:00 PM ET |
Developing Relationships and Allies Donna Douglass Williams (Pinterest), Arllon Souza Viçoso (IBM), and Monique A. Bookstein (Prince William, VA County Schools) Developing relationships in your organization is critical not just for effectiveness, but for survivability. Hear from three seasoned ombuds who work and have worked in different sectors on how they approach relationship development and how developing positive relationships creates allies for you and your office.
|
| 1:00 PM - 1:45 PM ET |
Navigating Relationships and Outreach in Light of the SOPs Hector Escalante (University of California, Merced) and Mijanoux Beauchamp (Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada) This session features the perspectives of two seasoned ombuds, before moving into small groups. The overarching goal is to help attendees feel more comfortable with the idea that relationship-building and outreach is not in conflict with the Standards of Practice—in fact, it’s often essential. |
| 1:45 PM - 2:00 PM ET |
Break |
| 2:00 PM - 2:50 PM ET |
Lunch Keynote: Why Is It So Hard to Advocate for Our Roles? Imposter Syndrome and Ombuds Dr. Valerie Young (Co-Founder, Imposter Syndrome Institute) We are pleased to present the co-founder of the Impostor Syndrome Institute, Dr. Valerie Young, widely recognized as the foremost expert on impostor syndrome to deliver this keynote. |
| 2:50 PM - 3:15 PM ET |
Social/Small Group Conversations This session will allow time for self-reflection as we review questions provided by Keynote Valarie Young on Rethinking Impostor Syndrome.™ |
| 3:15 PM - 3:45 PM ET |
Ready, Set, Go! Getting Your Advocacy Toolbox Set Mark Patterson (Cal Poly Pomona) and Jen Schneider (University of South Florida) It's always better to have an emergency plan in place before an emergency hits. That's why the IOA's Advocacy Committee has prepared several toolkits to help you address and triage issues that come up, like litigation holds. Hear from our Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs who will go over the various toolkits and resources available.
|
| 3:45 PM - 4:00 PM ET |
Break |
| 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM ET |
Afternoon Tea Keynote: General Counsel/Human Resources Roundtable Therese M. Leone (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), Lisa Abbott (Boston Children's Hospital), and Karin Schmidt (Northwestern University) The General Counsel/HR Roundtable will be a highlight of the event—an opportunity for ombuds to hear directly from senior HR and legal leaders. The session will explore what’s top of mind for these leaders, the challenges they face, and how ombuds can be most effective in supporting their roles and the organization as a whole. |
| 4:45 PM - 5:30 PM ET |
Surviving Organizational Change Nicholas Diehl (Inter-American Development Bank), Melissa Brodrick (Harvard University), and Gretchen Scheidler (McKinsey & Company) Change is the only constant so surviving organization change is a daily reality for ombuds and their visitors. How should ombuds approach, plan for, and address change as independent, neutral offices? Hear from ombuds who have survived when both internal and external forces impacted their organizations and their offices. |
| 5:30 PM - 5:45 PM ET |
Break |
| 5:45 PM - 6:45 PM ET |
Using Data from the Practice Survey and Your Survey to Support Your Advocacy Tim Hedeen, PhD (Kennesaw State University) and Mary Rowe (MIT) Data collection and analysis are critical tools to help explain our impact and value and to help defend our offices. What should we focus on? And how could we use data to effectively describe our role? How could we use data to help advocate for our offices if we are under threat? How can storytelling and using data about our most significant cases help? There are no two better ombuds to deliver our closing plenary. Learn from their years of expertise using data to effectively advocate for ombuds offices.
|
| 6:45 PM - 7:00 PM ET |
Closing |
Register Now
Past September Symposiums:
2024 IOA September Symposium: Organization as Visitor
2023 IOA September Symposium: Ombuds as Change Agents: Ombuds Intersections in the Modern World