2024 IOA September Symposium: Organization as Visitor

Experiences with the Organization as Visitor: In addition to providing confidential, informal, independent, and impartial assistance to individuals, ombuds also serve the organization by being sensitive to the interests and concerns of the organization and helping the organization clarify goals and consider options to make the best decisions about next steps. This panel of ombuds from various sectors will reflect on and share vulnerably about past experiences with viewing the organization as a visitor, including their successes and potential missed opportunities. Learn More

Dr. Mary Bliss Conger, Ruthy Kohorn Rosenberg, Carolyn Esposito, Kira Nurieli, and Lexi Wolfe

Read More about Our Panelists

Telling Stories with Data – A Tactical Formula: The most compelling way to communicate is to tell a story. Learn how this marketing agency CEO has succeeded in framing stories to achieve outcomes and how we can incorporate these principles and tactics into the way we communicate to the organization and tell stories as ombuds.

Susan Masucci is the CEO of Rukus. She has enjoyed a variety of experiences throughout her 25-year career providing communications and marketing counsel to clients within the health care, education, non-profit and social justice sectors. She founded Ruckus, a full-service advertising and communications agency in 2006, based on the belief that when purpose and passion intersect, great teams are formed and meaningful results are achieved.

Beyond the Survey - Innovative Data Collection: Our stories are only as good as the data we have to anchor our insights. This session will feature a partnership between creative data storytellers and Ombuds as they cover how data can be used in innovative ways. They will share their approach to data collection to develop an innovative and meaningful report and share any best practices that can be incorporated into opportunities for Ombuds reports.

Sarah Klaper, JD was named Northwestern University’s first university ombudsperson in August 2021. Sarah comes to Northwestern from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., where she served for nine years as the University Ombudsperson

Prior to her time at NIU, Sarah was an instructor of Legal Analysis, Research, and Communication at DePaul University College of Law in Chicago. She also taught Education Law, as well as State and Local Government. Sarah’s background is in law, and she practiced mainly public interest work for many years. Sarah started her legal career at Southeastern Ohio Legal Services in Portsmouth, Ohio. She last practiced at the Citizen Advocacy Center in Elmhurst, Illinois, where she focused on open government work and community organizing around issues such as the First Amendment, the Open Meetings Act, and the Freedom of Information Act. The principles of fairness and equity have guided Sarah throughout her career

Brooke Wichmann is the Associate OmbudspersonAssociate Ombudsperson at University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Brooke has worked in the alternative dispute resolution field for 15 years. She has extensive experience assisting with wide variety of interpersonal, procedural, and organizational challenges. Prior to joining UT, Brooke served as the Associate Director of Conflict Resolution Services at Colorado State University. She is a Certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner® (CO-OP), a Cinergy Conflict Management Coach, a Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), an MTI Workplace Mediator and Trainer, a trainer in Crucial Conversations, and an administrator of the Conflict Dynamics Profile. She also has in-depth practice and training in Social Justice Mediation and Non-Violent Communication. Brooke obtained an M.A. in Peace Education from the United Nations Mandated University for Peace and is a doctoral candidate in Education and Human Resource Studies at Colorado State University.

Data Management Practices: Data has great power, but with great power comes great responsibility. The members of the data management team will share important considerations for data management and collection for different sectors and state/national/international governments and include how to manage and track DEIAB and other world topics. Afterward, there will be an opportunity to break into smaller groups to discuss challenges with data.

Alicia Booker-Cormier Ph. D. in is the Principal Ombuds for Baylor College of Medicine and former University Ombudsperson for University of Alabama at Birmingham. Alicia received her Ph.D. from Nova Southeastern University’s Conflict Analysis and Resolution program. Her dissertation project focused on Competencies for Ombuds practicing in Higher Education. Booker-Cormier serves as the Immediate Past President of the International Ombuds Association and is a member of Southern Methodist University Alumni Board. Booker earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, and a Master of Arts in Dispute Resolution from Southern Methodist University (SMU).Booker has received graduate certificates in executive coaching, conflict coaching, mediation, and advanced training on workplace collaboration from SMU and a qualitative research graduate certificate from NSU. In addition to dispute resolution, Booker’s roots in investigative journalism and private investigation have equipped her with a critical interview and question-asking skills that are key to her role as an ombuds.

Jai Calloway is an experienced people leader and executive advisor in Conflict Competence; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; and Organizational Development. As a 2023 International Ombuds Association Presidential Award recipient and highly respected national thought-leader in conflict and inclusion, she helps organizations create and implement change efforts to develop equitable practices, policies, and healthy organizational cultures. Jai earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from the University of New Mexico, a Master of Science in Public Affairs from Texas Southern University, a Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law, and a Master of Law in Dispute Resolution with a focus on Cross-Cultural Conflict from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. 

Brett Hathaway Harris (she/her) has served as the ombuds/ombuds program director at the University of Oregon for the past eight years. Previously, she was ombuds at the University of Mississippi and has worked as a contract/external ombuds. Prior to shifting into the ombuds field, Brett practiced in mediation and law, working on employment law and high conflict family law cases. Brett has been a member of IOA's DEIB Committee and previously served as a co-chair of that committee.

Lily Xu is one of the Corporate Ombuds for RTX - commercial aerospace and defense industries. She has been practicing the Ombuds role for 10 years, and is currently a board director of the International Ombuds Association (IOA). Lily has a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) and CO-COP certified practitioner. She previously worked in Ethics & Compliance, Global Trade, Operations, Communications and Project Management. Lily was born and raised in Chengdu, Sichuan, China and has been married to her American husband, who is an artist, and they have a sweet little 2 year old daughter, currently living in Newton, North Carolina. 

Mary Rowe Keynote: Mary Rowe shares a bit of history.

Keynote

As organizational ombuds, we see our role as key advisors to empowering organizations to reach their full potential by sharing our unique insight to identify issues and opportunities for leaders to make informed decisions for change in the organization. We see value in being an early warning system to anticipate and avoid risk, offering coaching and facilitation, and supplementing formal channels as a partner in new ideas or initiatives.

While we hope this is in alignment with how the organization views ombuds, it is important to understand the organization's perspective in order to help further the needs and interests of the organization. This keynote is focused on what organizational leaders think about the value of ombuds, what they want to know and gain from their relationship with ombuds, and simple ways ombuds can increase rapport and engagement with leadership.

Trend Analysis: A critical part of the OO model is identifying patterns and trends that are impacting the health of the organization. But how do you identify patterns and trends, hot spots, hot issues, and hot people? In this session, hear from ombuds who have embraced trend analysis.

Handout

Example

Lisa Yamagata-Lynch is the University Ombudsperson and Director of the Office of Ombuds Services at the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville, and currently serves on both the IOA Board of Directors and Board of Certification for CO-OP. Lisa was appointed to the ombuds position at UT in 2019 and was charged to establish a newly envisioned ombuds office serving graduate students, staff, and faculty. Since then, Lisa has expanded the office staff to include an Associate Ombudsperson. Educational Program Coordinator and a graduate research assistant. Recently, Lisa received the IOA President’s Award for her commitment to serving the Ombuds field.

The Art of Delivering Tough News

Kristen Dattoli is a communications leader and reputation strategist with nearly 30 years of experience specializing in crisis communications. Kristen is the Director of Enterprise Communications at Boston Children’s Hospital, leading a team of brilliant media relations experts. She spends much time developing strategic direction and guiding storytelling across various external platforms. In previous roles, she managed global communications for IBM Watson, overseeing its transition from research to commercialization. She has consistently demonstrated her ability to manage complex communications strategies for high-profile organizations.

Kristen is also a passionate educator. Since 2015, she has been sharing her knowledge as a frequent lecturer at Boston University, preparing future communication professionals through engaging storytelling sessions and graduate and undergraduate lectures. As a sought-after speaker, she regularly presents at major communications conferences across North America, providing insights on crisis management, the changing landscape of the media, and what impactful storytelling means.

Kristen has been recognized with numerous accolades, including the IBM Forward Thinker Award and multiple “Best of” Gold awards from the Publicity Club of New England. Her leadership extends beyond her professional roles, as she serves on the executive board of the Mass Cultural Council and is involved in several community service initiatives. She has her BFA from Boston University.

Outside work, Kristen enjoys painting (on canvas, not walls), theater, and traveling with her family to destinations with great beaches and hiking trails.

Practice Delivering Tough Topics: It's one thing to hear how others do it. It's another to actually put it into practice and deliver difficult messages on tough topics to an organizational leader. This is a unique opportunity to practice with leaders who currently receive upward feedback. There will be a case problem shared ahead of time with data that the ombuds will need to give to the leader, and participants will take turns delivering the news together to a leader in a breakout room and receive feedback or have the option to observe and learn from the conversations. For anyone who wants to try giving feedback without a leader in the room, another breakout room will be available.

Meet Our Experts:

Debra Chew, Director of the Division of Inclusivity, Culture, and Equity (DICE), the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)

Dick Argys, Executive Vice President of Hospital Operations and Chief Culture Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital

Lisa Abbott, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital

Chris Viney, Executive Vice President and System General Counsel at Boston Children's Hospital

Michele Garvin, Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff at Boston Children's Hospital. Michele joined Boston Children’s Hospital

Laura J. Wood, DNP, MS, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Executive Vice President, Patient Care Operations and System Chief Nursing Executive at Boston Children’s Hospital

Lee Manuel Bitsoi, EdD, Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Brandeis University

Read their Bios