In-Person Foundations of Organizational Ombuds Practice Course

San Francisco, California

3-Day Course

Monday, 22 July - 24 July 2024 | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM PT (Monday - Tuesday) 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM (Wednesday)

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Registration - Max Occupancy of 36 People

Registration Rates:

• $2,095 USD for IOA members
• $2,595 USD for Non-Members

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Course Description 

This course is for currently practicing or newly appointed ombuds. 

If you do not have an ombuds role you may join our interest list for Aspiring Ombuds and Auxiliary Roles. This will allow you to be the first one to be notified when a special session for non-practicing ombuds opens up.

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The IOA Foundations Course is designed for new practicing organizational ombuds and covers the fundamentals of the organizational ombuds role based on the principles of confidentiality, impartiality, independence, and informality. Learn how to work with visitors 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. In addition, an experienced and highly committed faculty of ombuds will share best practices around setting up an office and evaluating and communicating the effectiveness of the office.

Instructors:

Tom Kosakowski University Ombuds for the Health Sciences Campus, USC

Tom A. Kosakowski, JD, serves as the University Ombuds for the Health Sciences Campus, including seven teaching hospitals, clinics, and research facilities. Prior to establishing the office at USC in 2019, 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 mediated cases for the LA Superior Court. Tom is an active member of the International Ombuds Association and served on its Board of Directors, including a term 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 in 2007.

Angela Dash, PhD Founder and President, The Pace Institute, LLC | Ombuds at Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine

Angela Dash is a Certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner known for her innovative and human-centered approach in executive coaching, conflict resolution, group facilitation, and organizational ombuds services. Through her private practice, she provides contract organizational ombuds services and has served as the part-time Ombuds at the newly established Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine since 2022. She was also the founding Ombuds at Northeast Ohio Medical University and a previous educator in New York University’s Master of Science in Executive Coaching and Organizational Consulting program and their Executive and Professional Coaching certification program. 

Her influence spans various sectors, having directed the Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution in the Superior Court of Fulton County in the Atlanta Judicial Circuit and advocating for the rights of Georgians with disabilities as part of the Governor’s Office of Disability Services Ombudsman (Georgia). As a FEMA ADR Advisor reservist since 2018, she also provides crucial conflict management services during federally declared disasters, earning the FEMA Reservist Special Act Award for five years.

With a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, from Nova Southeastern University, an MPA from Troy State University and a BA from Spelman College, Angela's work also emphasizes restorative and trauma-informed principles and approaches, aiming for healing-centered organizations. She is an advocate for collaborative, supportive environments, leading to her recognition as a key figure in promoting positive organizational change.

Donna Louden, Director, Ombuds Office, National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Donna Louden is a recognized expert in interpersonal and organizational conflict management, with over 20 years of experience. As the Organizational Ombuds for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, since 2013, Donna provides a confidential, impartial, and informal resource for employees navigating work-related concerns and conflicts. Prior to joining NREL, Donna was the Associate Director of the Ombuds Office at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an Ombuds at the University of California, Irvine. Her extensive experience in facilitating effective communication and problem-solving has established her as a sought-after facilitator, mediator, and conflict coach.

In addition to her work as an Ombuds, Donna is an accomplished trainer. She is a frequent instructor for the International Ombudsman Association (IOA), she has taught professional skills, ethics, and best practices to hundreds of practitioners globally. Notably, she co-designed the IOA's "Foundations of Organizational Ombuds Practice" curriculum and spearheaded the development of a virtual training program that significantly expanded IOA's reach.

Donna holds a master’s degree in Interpersonal Communication and Conflict from California State University, Fullerton, where her research focused on cross-cultural conflict, and a bachelor's degree from Loyola Marymount University. She also earned two certificates in conflict coaching and advanced mediation training certificates.

Learn more about the Foundations course.

This course is presented in English. 

Who should attend:

The course is designed for recently appointed ombuds. Its objectives are to help new practitioners: 

• Recognize the dimensions and parameters of the organizational ombuds role
• Reflect on their own personal relationship to the role
• Develop basic skills to perform the role effectively
• Learn best practices
• Identify resources to learn more
• Build a community of practice

This course applies to ombuds programs in organizational settings. It does not address some features unique to other models of ombuds practice, such as classical, advocate, or legislative.

Additional Details

Course Limit

36 participants

Prerequisites

None

Professional Development Hours (PDH)

This course has been approved for 15 Professional Development Hours for CO-OP® credential recertification.

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Course Location

Grand Hyatt San Francisco

Questions?

Email the IOA office at [email protected].

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