By Melanie Jagneaux, JD, MBA, CO-OP®, IOA President

IOA begins the new year strong. Steadily growing over the past two years, IOA has surpassed its 1,000 member milestone! Even as the impacts of the COVID pandemic continued, we ended 2021 in a prosperous financial position, closing the year with an approximate net surplus of more than $35,000.

We, the members of IOA, accomplished a great deal in 2021! I think it is important to pause and celebrate our successes because our efforts in 2021 will bring even more value to our membership and the ombuds profession in the years to come. If you volunteered your time and talent on an IOA Committee or Task Force, IOA has greatly benefited from your investment. If you provided valuable feedback on proposals in surveys, you helped IOA leaders make better decisions. If you shared viewpoints in town halls or member meetings you contributed to our collaborative culture. We stayed well focused on our goals, engaged openly, collaborated well, met challenges with confidence and persistence, and made important changes to ready the organization for the future.

 
Following Is a Snapshot of Our Significant Accomplishments in 2021:

• We changed our name to International Ombuds Association after years of debate.
• We elevated the DEIB Task Force to a standing committee, confirming its importance and permanence.
• We launched our first virtual annual conference with clear member approval and appreciation.
• We revised the Bylaws to improve our governance.
• We confirmed the effectiveness of our Pilot and made the IOA Ombuds Program permanent.
• We proved value in the Executive Director role (thanks, Chuck) and made it full-time going forward.
• We are in the process of updating our IOA logo and branding with input from members.
• We launched an Ombuds Effectiveness Project to develop tools to demonstrate ombuds value.
• We hosted nine Virtual Foundations courses providing training to more than 200 ombuds.
• We developed a Leadership Onboarding Program to equip new leaders with needed information.
• We added a 3-year model to our budgeting to ensure the association’s financial health and stability.
• We worked on our 2021-2024 Strategic Direction to help chart our path going forward.
  
  

We are empowered to pause a moment and celebrate these significant successes! So much of this work was about refining our programs, governance, and supporting infrastructure to focus on member needs. We are ready to bring you some great new things in 2022.

Here’s What’s Coming in 2022:

• IOA will soon launch an Outsourced Ombuds Directory to help organizations find members who can provide outsourced ombuds services and consulting.
• The 2021 IOA Ombuds Annual Report, which provides information about the IOA Ombuds Program, and its use will be distributed to members later this week.
• Our new Executive Director, Ellen Miller, will join IOA in mid-February.
• We will soon post a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the IOA Ombuds Program inviting ombuds interested in submitting a proposal to provide ombuds services to IOA on a contract basis.
• With feedback from members shared in Town Hall meetings last week, the IOA Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics will be further refined and presented to the Board for a final vote in March. Town Hall recordings are available in case you missed them, and the online survey is open through Friday, 4 February.
• IOA’s 17th Annual Conference, “Belonging Together: Reimagined” will be from 4 April through 6 April. Registration is open now! If you haven’t yet signed up, please register to attend!
• IOA Board Elections are now underway, and in April 2022, members will elect two classes of directors who will take office at the IOA Annual Business Meeting this April. Please vote!
• After the IOA Annual Business Meeting, the IOA Board will elect new officers with planned succession, providing continuity of leadership.
• Building on our wonderful portfolio of professional development offerings, we will be adding more virtual courses to include Core Courses on Mediation, Conflict Theory, and Communications.
• IOA is working on an improved, user-friendly website and new Online Community for enhanced networking and resource-sharing.
  
  

As my term as IOA President and my time on the IOA Board draws to a close, I feel inspired, grateful, and confident. I am inspired by the people of IOA, those who take the time to discuss important matters related to our profession. There is a generosity in this organization that is unusual. It is not just a love for the work we do, but a giving and sharing that empowers and uplifts.

I am grateful to my colleagues on the IOA Board who have all given so much of themselves in service to this organization. From my perspective, this Board is unmatched in its ability to face challenges with courage, discuss issues honestly and respectfully, debate ideas openly to ensure good outcomes, remain focused on the organization’s strategic direction, include stakeholders in organizational change, and make good things happen.

I am also grateful to Chuck Howard for his steady counsel and leadership, for championing ombuds over many years, for helping to prove the value of the ombuds function, and for counseling organizations in adding new ombuds offices.

Additionally, I am grateful for our IOA staff. We are fortunate to be supported by such a capable, well-aligned, and highly-responsive team of talented individuals, superbly led by Lindsay Jennings, our Managing Director. Lindsay and her team make it all work and somehow make even the hard things seem easy.

We came out of 2021 even stronger and are well set in 2022 to continue our success. We have a good thing going here, on purpose. I am confident that IOA is well-positioned to continue its success in providing quality benefits and services to members.