Eliane Markoff
University Ombuds
Bentley University & Trinity College

What inspired you to pursue the role of an ombuds?

I was on the board of Wheelock College and a professional mediator then when the President asked me if I would take the role of Ombuds as we started considering a merger with another university.

How long have you been working as an ombuds, and how has your role evolved over time? Please also describe your current role and the type of work you focus on.

I have been an ombuds since 2016. My role evolved from being a mediator and an Adjunct faculty member teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses to being asked to launch an ombuds office for the school.

What helps you stay prepared and effective in your role?

Experience, age, and practice!

Part of IOA's current and continued strategic work is ensuring that “Ombuds have the capacity and tools to position themselves as essential contributors and trusted advisors in their organizations.” A lot of our work at the board and committee level has worked to equip our members in accurately and appropriately identifying our value and uniqueness for our visitors, organizations, and the broader world. We often accomplish this through our educational programming. 

With that in mind, I’ve been thinking a lot about our annual conference this year. For many in our community, the periodic virtual conference allows the opportunity to participate and connect in ways that they wouldn’t be able to, whether because of distance, funding, or circumstance. 

Throughout our keynotes, our concurrent sessions, and connecting in Gathertown, attendees were engaged with the thought leadership in our Zoom rooms. Those who were able to attend agree. A preliminary review of the conference feedback shows that people enjoyed the conference, even though, as a community, we have a preference for gathering together in person.

As we move towards a thoughtful, gathering season in the Northern Hemisphere, I find myself reflecting on the weight and complexity of the challenges many in our community are navigating. I can’t find another word other than “challenges." After many conversations with different members over the last few weeks, I’m realizing it’s not a single challenge; the challenges are myriad. There is as much commonality as there is difference, making this feel like a big, un-nameable, unwieldy blob of challenge.

What I can hope to give voice to is the cumulative impact of those challenges on many within our community. I am speaking from the heart on this one. As I do, my hope is that my personal experience resonates.

I am tired. I am tired of feeling unsettled and uncertain. I am tired of the unnecessary vulnerability those I care for feel daily. I am tired of the work it takes to hold onto what matters: discourse without disrespect, disagreement without dehumanization, a shared sense of mattering, and a shared desire to understand.

Leadership in the ombuds world is meaningful, complex, and often isolating — especially for those of us supervising staff, managing internal dynamics, and leading our offices through institutional change.

That’s why I’m launching the Ombuds Administrator Roundtable — a casual, peer-led bi-monthly space for ombuds leaders who supervise staff and lead ombuds programs.

This isn’t a training. There’s no PowerPoint, no facilitator, and no deliverables. It’s an informal, confidential space to talk shop, reflect on our work, and support one another as leaders.

With thanks to IOA's Advocacy Committee who has been working hard to to develop resources to help ombuds self advocate in their own organizations (what we refer to as small "a" advocacy) the Board of Directors has recently approved Guidance for Dual Role Ombuds.

Guidance for Dual Role Ombuds

Organizations should strive to have a full-time, dedicated ombuds who is trained by the International Ombuds Association (IOA) and adheres to IOA Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. The IOA Standards of Practice state, "Ombuds are mandated to hold no other positions that could compromise their independence. Any non-ombuds duties must not interfere with their primary role, and clear communication regarding their ombuds functions is paramount." Some organizations choose not to employ full-time, fully embedded ombuds. Alternative models may include part-time ombuds with no competing roles, contract ombuds, and dual role (sometimes referred to as “collateral”) ombuds, who hold additional roles within the organization. The purpose of this document is to provide guidance for those in dual-role ombuds positions.

The University of Maryland is conducting a study about ombuds’ perceptions of their work, and how ombuds care for themselves when engaged in challenging cases. Knowledge gained from this study can be used to inform the education and training of ombuds, and the development of interventions to support ombuds in their work.

The first 25 ombuds who complete the survey will receive a $25 Amazon gift card. The study has been approved by the University of Maryland IRB: 2259543-1.

Participate in the survey: https://go.umd.edu/UMDOmbudsStudy

Are you interested in helping to create Coursera course about the ombuds* profession, created in partnership with the University of Colorado Boulder. Produced by Liz Hill and Ken Skodacek, this free, on-demand course aims to promote global awareness and deepen understanding of the diverse roles ombuds play.

What’s in the Course?

Module 1: Introduction, history, and foundational elements.
Module 2: Public sector ombuds programs (e.g., classical, primarily external facing).
Module 3: Organizational ombuds (e.g., primarily internal facing, embedded or externally positioned/outsourced),
Module 4: Advocate ombuds, such as long-term care ombudsmen.
Module 5: Ombuds programs outside the U.S.
Module 6: Skills, careers, resources, and next steps.

Top Ten Findings
2024 IOA Practice Survey

Jennifer Schneider PhD, Timothy Hedeen PhD, Mary Rowe PHD, and Hector Escalante Meza EdD

The International Ombuds Association (IOA) surveyed organizational ombuds around the world regarding various aspects of their practice during the 2023 calendar year. The team responsible for creating the instrument and analyzing results selected a top ten list of interesting findings from survey responses:

The DEIAB Committee announces the book for this quarter's Book Club: bell hooks' Feminism is for Everybody. bell hooks is one of America's foremost literary thinkers. She died in 2021, having produced an incredible mass of writings on race, feminism, class, and belonging. 

Feminism is for Everybody makes the case for a gender equality movement that is not about division, but is rooted in the wisdom of experience and common sense. Please join us at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET on Thursday, 5 December, for a discussion of the ideas in the book, feminism, and gender issues more broadly, and how we can promote gender equality as ombuds.

Even if you don't have time to read the book, please join us! Every IOA member and ombuds has ideas about gender and diversity that the rest of us are interested in hearing.

Do you have a professional skill, practice, or interest that you would be willing to share with fellow Ombuds?

The IOA Professional Development Committee (PDC) is looking for members to facilitate webinars in 2025. We would love to hear from fresh voices, so we encourage you to submit a proposal even if you have never presented for IOA before!

For more information, visit the IOA Webinar/Seminar Proposal Form. or contact the PDC webinar committee chairs, Brooke Wichman ([email protected]) and Robynn Pease ([email protected] ) for more information.

The deadline for full consideration is November 1, 2024. We would love to hear from you!

July Webinar Recap: We were honored to have Dr. Nadia Ferrara present on "Cultural Humility," where she explored ways to incorporate cultural humility in our everyday lives to help promote a more inclusive workplace. Members can log into the Online Learning Center to watch the recording. Check out her recent blog post on Trauma-informed Ombudsry.

Upcoming Events: Save the date for the DEIAB sponsored webinar,"IOA Live: Compassionate Inquiry" on 12 December featuring the bestselling author and renowned speaker, Gabor Maté. 

Watch the video update below for recent IOA updates!

From Steen Erik Larsen, Maersk Ombuds Function

The IOA Board asked the Research and Assessment Committee to take the lead in helping members understand how they can effectively use artificial intelligence (AI), including considerations/pitfalls to pay attention to when using AI. Ideally, the Independent Voice Blog, CommUnity, Good Day IOA Videos, conferences, webinars, and informal events (i.e. Community Connections) are platforms that could be leveraged for discussion and dissemination.

By now, we expect that most ombuds have heard of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”). Stories of Large Language Models (LLMs, such as ChatGPT) that can replicate human speech and writing (and code) with shocking speed and considerable accuracy seem to be everywhere. Generative AI programs, such as Midjourney and DALL-E can create extraordinary photorealistic images based on simple text prompts. Meanwhile, “Deep Learning” programs such as AlphaFold have already solved medical and scientific problems previously thought nearly impossible. We are in a new world–one that contains potential for extraordinary benefits and risks to ombuds practice. It is certain that AI will affect the work of Organizational Ombuds in fundamental ways. Already, many ombuds are using AI, such as using Microsoft CoPilot to draft documents and articles, or even just using AI-integrated search engines. Others may be exploring ways to use LLMs to enhance productivity, for instance using ChatGPT to draft emails, refine and edit documents, or create blog posts. These uses only scratch the surface of what AI has to offer to our field. Some
other possible uses include:

Practice Survey in Action: Mary’s Riffs on Organizational Ombuds Sources of Power and Influence, Values, and Effectiveness and the IOA Survey

Watch our recent webinar featuring Mary Rowe and the IOA Practice Survey Team discussing why and how the IOA survey has been helpful to individual organizational ombuds and the profession. 

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Practice Survey. Results will be announced later this year. 

Watch as Ellen Miller, IOA Executive Director, Mary Rowe, Hector Escalante, and Jennifer Schneider discuss the importance of the Practice Survey and why all practicing ombuds should take it. 

By Ellen Miller, IOA Executive Director

The Ombuds Community has a variety of channels within IOA and outside of IOA to publish content about the profession and field:  

1.  Within IOA: 

The International Ombuds Association (IOA) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024 Trailblazer Award and President’s Awards.

The IOA Board of Directors established the Trailblazer Award in 2022 for individuals who have devoted significant contributions to the organizational ombuds field over an extended period of time. Award recipients may have served as an organizational ombuds, but is not required to have served as an organizational ombuds to receive this Award.

The 2024 recipient is: 

By Liz Hill

The American Bar Association (ABA) has taken significant steps to enhance the ombuds profession by passing Resolution 500 at its recent Mid-Year Meeting. This resolution encourages the informed and voluntary use of Early Dispute Resolution (EDR), emphasizing its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Resolution 500 urges lawyers and stakeholders to employ party-directed, non-adjudicative methods such as direct negotiation, mediation, and ombuds services for conflict resolution.

The American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates unanimously approved the resolution spearheaded and drafted by ABA Section of Dispute Resolution (ABA DR) EDR Committee’s current and former Co-Chairs Ellie Vilendrer, Felicia Harris Hoss, and Mary Cullen as well as our very own ombuds colleague Meg Willoughby, Co-Chair of the ABA DR Ombuds Committee. 

Learn about recent collaborations of the IOA and CO-OP® Boards of Directors, an exciting new Ombuds Program Certification proposal, and upcoming changes to the existing individual CO-OP® certification.