By Elizabeth Hill, J.D., CO-OP®
Associate Director, Ombuds Office at the University of Colorado Boulder

Greetings! In October 2021, Caroline Adams, Jenn Mahony, and I established a LinkedIn Discussion Group called OmbudsLinked. It is an independent forum, not affiliated with any of the ombuds associations. The purpose is to create space for all types of practicing ombuds regardless of model, sector, standards of practice, etc. to congregate, network, share information and ideas, build camaraderie, and unite the profession. It is also a closed group, which will hopefully allow members to speak freely without judgment or scrutiny of individuals outside the ombuds profession. Accordingly, members must be invited by a member or request to join. The group administrators monitor the requests to join.

What does the engagement look like?

Each week the administrators, Caroline Adams, Rob Behrens, Elizabeth Hill, and Jennifer Mahony, offer the following:

• Provocation Tuesday – a weekly post to get us thinking more deeply about how we work and how that changes depending on what we do and where we do it.
• Reflection Thursday – a weekly reflection prompt to help us share our experiences and insights about the ombuds Life. 
• Funny Friday – share jokes, cartoons, and anecdotes about the ombuds Life.

OmbudsLinked Group members are encouraged to:

• Engage with the posts and share their own! This might include posting articles of interest, questions, polls, events, job postings, etc. Whatever is on their mind.  
• Invite other practicing ombuds in their LinkedIn network to join!
• Attend gatherings and offer ideas for group gatherings! We aim to host monthly get-togethers to discuss specific topics, socialize, play games, and have some fun. So far we have hosted a winter holiday trivia hour and social hour to welcome the new year.  

How can you tune in to this channel?

Request to Join

Interested ombuds may submit a request to join the OmbudsLinked.

Submit a Request

Are you on Twitter?

You and others are also invited to follow us @OmbudsLinked.

Follow Us on Twitter

Call for Volunteer

We are also looking for a classical ombuds and an advocate ombuds to help us moderate the group. This requires posting three times per week during one week every other month and hosting up to 3 one-hour social events each year. If you or someone you know is interested, have them contact me at [email protected].