No Visitor Left Unchanged 

17 July 2025

10:00-11:00 AM PT / 1:00-2:00 PM ET / 7:00-8:00 PM CET

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Registration

  • IOA Members: Free
    Member registration includes access to the live webinar and the entire library of on-demand recordings.

  • Non-Members: $250 USD per webinar
    Non-member registration does not include access to the recording. Become a Member Today!
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About the Course

Every visitor to an Ombuds office is left changed in some way. Often, they have grown in knowledge about a process or evolved with their self-awareness. Through this webinar, we will explain how we found the "controlled burn" process to be a valuable tool for a visitor's journey through conflict and how the self-determination theory supports this method of a visitor's evolution. In addition, we will describe the educational practice of gradual release of responsibility and how to use it in tandem with the "controlled burn" process.


Learning Objectives

After participating in this webinar, participants will be better able to:

  • Support a visitor through a "controlled burn" process.
  • Apply the self-determination theory when supporting a visitor.
  • Describe how to apply gradual release of responsibility when supporting a visitor.

About the Instructor

Laurel Gordon, Deputy Ombuds
Laurel Gordon helped open the U.S. Marshals Service’s first Office of the Ombuds in 2016 and has been serving as Deputy Ombuds there ever since. Prior to her work as an ombuds, Laurel served in various operational support roles in the federal government while also volunteering as a crisis hotline listener at a suicide hotline. Laurel is an Associate Certified Coach, a certified Conflict Coach, a certified mediator, and accredited in Dr. Laura Crawshaw’s methodology for coaching leaders facing negative perceptions. She is a member of the International Ombuds Association Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Belonging Committee and has previously served as COFO Coordinator. She holds a BA in English and Religion from Columbia University, an MS in Psychological Science from the University of Maryland, and an MA in Comparative Religion from the University of Washington. She is the mother of two amazing young children and lives in Seattle, Washington.

Marcus Malone, Deputy Ombuds & Chief Inspector
Marcus Malone, Deputy Ombuds and Chief Inspector, joined the United States Marshals Service (USMS) in 2009. He currently serves within the Office of the Ombuds (OO) as a Certified Organization Ombuds Practitioner® where he provides the USMS with conflict resolution instruction and resources, coaching, and informal mediation.

Prior to joining the OO, he worked in various criminal investigation and law enforcement leadership roles throughout the USMS. Marcus has 17 years of law enforcement experience where he has focused on fostering productive relationships between communities, law enforcement, and the courts.

Marcus holds certifications in both mediation and coaching. He is also an active member with the International Ombuds Association (IOA) and Coalition of Federal Ombuds (COFO), serving on the COFO mentoring committee. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Faulkner University and a Master of Science degree in Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

April Richardson, Program Analyst
April Richardson is an employee of Mayvin Inc. and has supported the mission of the United States Marshal Service (USMS) in multiple capacities over the past two years. April is currently serving within the USMS Office of the Ombuds as a Program Analyst. Before joining the USMS, April spent over 2 decades in public education within Virginia’s Prince William County teaching both in the classroom with elementary students and supporting teachers through mentorship, professional development, group facilitation, and one-on-one coaching. April holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Bridgewater College and a masters in Curriculum and Instruction from George Mason University.


Closed Captioning and Languages for Online Webinars & Meetings

IOA is dedicated to making meetings and content more accessible. All IOA Live Webinars will offer closed captioning. This service will also be available for IOA committee meetings upon request. Participation for all is encouraged; if you have any questions please email the IOA office at [email protected].

This course is presented in English. Captions are available in English by default. Individual participants may choose to see their captions translated into one of the following languages: Arabic, Bangla (beta), Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Czech, Danish (beta), Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French (France), German, Hebrew (beta), Hindi (beta), Hungarian,  Italian,  Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian (beta), Polish, Portuguese, Romanian (beta), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil (beta), Turkish, Ukrainian, or Vietnamese.


IOA Online Learning & Virtual Event Policies

Webinar Cancellation Policy: 

Notification of cancellation must be submitted in writing via email to [email protected]All cancellation requests received 21 days in advance of the event start date, will be issued a refund less a $10 USD processing feeNo refunds will be given thereafter except in the event of extenuating circumstances. Requests for registration cancellation must be submitted in writing via email to [email protected].

Substitute attendees will be permitted. Substitution requests must be in writing via email to [email protected] no later than two days before the event's start date. If you have any questions, please contact the office at [email protected].

Nonpayment Policy:
Full payment of registration fees is required 7 days before the start of a course. If payment is not made prior to the start of the course, event details will not be released to you and your registration may be canceled. The IOA office will contact registered individuals with a balance due before canceling their registration. If you have any questions, please contact the office at [email protected] or by phone at +1-206-209-5275.
 
Subject to Change or Cancellation:

All IOA Courses are subject to change and/or cancellation. 

IOA asks that all registered attendees confirm system requirements and test their computers prior to the start of each virtual session. If the Zoom or other platform used experiences a failure that is beyond our control, IOA may reschedule the session. If an attendee experiences a technical failure on their end, and the session is being recorded, attendees may watch the recorded session.  If the session is not recorded, no refund will be issued.

Recording Acknowledgement:
Each virtual session may be recorded. These recordings may be provided for later viewing and may be used for promotional purposes, advertising, and other print and online materials at the sole discretion of IOA. By registering for a virtual session you consent to be recorded by IOA when attending live sessions.

Participant Agreement:
IOA asks that all participants of any IOA course review the Organizational Values and Community Norms prior to attending. 

IOA Additional Policies
IOA Organizational Values & Community Norms