Navigating Confidentiality as an Ombuds Every Day

23 January 2026

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM PT / 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM CET

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Registration is now closed. 

Registration Rates:

Registration is now closed. 

About the Course

Navigating confidentiality is a necessary skill for any ombuds. It requires understanding the standard of practice, and the limitations and nuances of how to use confidential information effectively. This seminar will focus on issues an ombuds must pay attention to, how to use confidentiality as a tool without breaching information shared, when an ombuds can breach confidentiality, and when advised they can -- but should not. This session is the first in a series exploring ethical issues surrounding our standards of practice.  

Learning Objectives

• Participants will have a deeper understanding how confidentiality interacts with the other pillars of the IOA Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics: impartiality, independence, and informality
• Participants will identify specific issues and scenarios where the interests of various constituents and the ombuds may conflict around confidentiality.
• Participants will reflect on their own approach to how they think about confidentiality, and how they might approach managing confidentiality dilemmas and consider alternative approaches.
• Participants will gain practical strategies from fellow participants for issues rising from fast moving technology. These may include requests for information, keeping data, online interactions with visitors, etc. The topics will depend on what is raised by participants themselves.

Instructor 

Ruthy Kohorn Rosenberg is a retired university ombuds and now provides personalized ombuds coaching. Ruthy was the Inaugural Ombuds at Brown University for eight years and then joined the University of Washington as an Associate Ombud, where she served for 5 years.   Before Brown Ruthy worked at MIT as the Director of Student Mediation working with faculty, staff and students. Previous to MIT, Ruth was the chief of staff to several Deans of the Division of Biology and Medicine at Brown University.

Ruthy has more than 30 years of experience in conflict resolution and management, ombudsmanry, curriculum design and teaching.  She serves as a mentor to ombuds through the International Ombuds Association. Ruthy was an adjunct professor at Roger Williams University School of Law, and was a Qualified Affiliate Practitioner with the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration.  She began her mediation career as a divorce and family mediator.

Ruthy’s undergraduate degree is from Smith College.  She has a law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law and a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Case Western Reserve University.  She is specifically trained in facilitation, divorce mediation, civil rights mediation, USDA mediation, public participation (IAP2) and as an ombud (IOA).

Panelists:
Joan C. Waters is the University Ombuds Officer for Columbia University in New York.  Serving the entire Columbia community of faculty, students and staff across all of Columbia's four campuses, Joan heads an office of three that is organized and operated pursuant to IOA standards.

Joan is a former lawyer who prior to her ombuds role specialized in higher education and employment law. Joan is a trained mediator and is CO-OP certified.

Within the ombuds community Joan is a member of the IOA, has served as an IOA mentor, on the CO-OP eligibility committee, has been long involved with The California Caucus of College and University Ombuds (CalCaucus) as a committee member, board member and officer and is a co-founder of the NY Area Ombuds group.

Julie Weber joined the Brown University community as University Ombuds in March, 2020, having spent much of her career focused on helping people navigate their way through conflict in a variety of settings. She is an experienced ombuds and mediator, who also has worked as an employment lawyer, employee relations and compliance manager, and policy specialist. Julie earned an AB from Columbia University and a JD from Boston College Law School. More recently, she obtained a certificate in leadership and performance coaching as well as in team coaching.

Chuck Sloane leads the University of Washington Ombud Office, providing independent, confidential support to students, staff, and faculty navigating concerns across the institution. Appointed by the University President, Chuck helps individual community members explore their rights while also serving as a strategic advisor to university leadership on systemic patterns and institutional improvements. He brings a unique combination of clinical psychology expertise (MS, Pacific University), human resources leadership (SPHR certified), and ombuds experience, including his prior role as Deputy Ombuds for King County. A UW graduate himself (BA), Chuck is committed to creating an environment where all members of the university community feel heard, supported, and empowered to resolve conflicts constructively. Chuck lives in Seattle with his wife Karen, their children Makhai and June, and Moose, their Goldendoodle.

Additional Details and Event Policies

Ombuds Online Seminars focus on emerging topics of interest to ombuds, while others teach diverse skillsets that can enhance an ombuds’ practice. Seminars allow for a deeper dive and more interactive experiential learning formats than a webinar. You can register for a live seminar, or you can purchase that seminar on-demand. 

Professional Development Hours (PDH)

This course has been approved for 2 PDH. 

Closed Captioning and Languages for Online Courses

IOA is dedicated to making meetings and content more accessible. All IOA Live Seminars 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.

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 fee. No 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