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IOA 2020 Board of Directors Slate of CandidatesVote for the IOA Board of DirectorsThe IOA Board of Directors approved the following slate of candidates to serve as Directors for terms beginning at the 2020 Annual Business Meeting 2020 through the Annual Business Meeting in April 2023. There are six (6) director positions open. The approved slate contains six (6) candidates coincidentally matching the number of seats available on the IOA Board of Directors. The Nominations and Governance Committee and the Board of Directors did not seek any particular number and this result is simply a function of typical nominee attrition from the total number of nominations received. Although all candidates are running unopposed, all IOA voting members (full, retired, and distinguished emeritus members) are invited and encouraged to vote in this election. A listing of the current IOA Board of Directors and their term status is on the IOA Board of Directors page. IOA Directors serve three-year terms and are eligible to serve two consecutive terms. Terms are staggered so that a majority of the board returns from year to year. For your reference, you are welcome to review the IOA Bylaws and the nomination page for board member eligibility criteria. Approved Slate of Candidates:
Vote NowElections close on Tuesday 4 February 2020 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. CandidatesHector Escalante, EdD, MFA
Dr. Hector Escalante is the University of the Pacific’s inaugural Ombudsperson. He comes from both a management and academic background. Escalante holds a Doctor of Education and a Master of Fine Arts in creative non-fiction writing. He served as college professor for many years before transitioning into academic administration. He has been a provost, dean, and director of academic units. Escalante is a trained mediator, DISC profile facilitator, and a conflict resolution professional. As the University of the Pacific Ombuds, he works with individuals and groups in an organization to explore and assist them in determining options to help resolve conflicts, and has been in this role for 5 years. Escalante is also one of two ombuds for Earthjustice, a non-profit public interest environmental law organization. Statement of Interest: I am extremely excited to be nominated to serve on the IOA Board of Directors. IOA has supported my journey as an ombuds in many ways. I attended the Foundations Course within my first year of becoming an ombuds, I participated in the Mentor Program, I’ve attended every conference since becoming an ombuds and I have met wonderful people and developed rich relationships with people who are part of IOA. I am now ready to give back to IOA, and I feel that my perspective would be helpful as IOA moves forward. Melanie Jagneaux, JD, MBA, CO-OP
Ombudsman Director Melanie Jagneaux is Ombudsman Director for Baylor College of Medicine. As Ombudsman, Melanie serves is available to all members of the Baylor Community to assist in addressing workplace conflict and concerns. Melanie is committed to developing and growing communication and conflict management skills across the organization while maintaining the independence, neutrality, informality, and confidentiality of the ombuds office. Prior to her role at Baylor College of Medicine, Melanie served as Principal Ombuds at Baker Hughes, for which she oversaw all aspects of the company’s organizational ombuds office operations to ensure that it was performing effectively and delivering on its mission and goals. Before that, Melanie designed, implemented and successfully managed the conflict management system for employment disputes at Coca-Cola Enterprises. Melanie earned a law degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas and is licensed to practice law in Texas. In addition, she obtained a BA in Political Science from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana and an MBA from Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. Statement of Interest: I have had the distinct pleasure of serving on the IOA Board for the past three years, each year serving as an officer for the organization. I am proud of the advances that we have made and eager to continue this work with my colleagues for another term. Sarah Klaper
University Ombudsperson Sarah Klaper joined Northern Illinois University as ombudsperson in August 2012. She earned her bachelor of science in communication from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and she earned her juris doctorate from the University of Cincinnati College Of Law. Ms. Klaper started her career in a general civil law practice at Southeastern Ohio Legal Services in Portsmouth, Ohio. She then went into a solo family law practice and followed up by returning to her public interest roots as a community lawyer at the Citizen Advocacy Center in Elmhurst, Illinois. Immediately prior to coming to NIU, Ms. Klaper was a legal analysis, research and communication instructor at DePaul University College of Law. She also taught Education Law and State and Local Government. The focus of Ms. Klaper’s entire career has been both to “ennoble dignity,” and to help others use their voices effectively for themselves and for others. Statement of Interest: I am extremely interested in being on the Board of Directors for IOA. I have seen the Board grow and evolve in my time as a member, and I admire the directors' dedication to advancing the profession and the organization. I believe that I can complement the work of the Board with my proactive nature, my work ethic, my willingness and desire to go above and beyond, my ability to bring people and ideas together and to see a bigger picture, and my nature as an advocate for fairness and equity. In addition, my legal background really helps me look at policy and procedure through a systemic lens. I am truly excited at the prospect of contributing to the Board, and working with colleagues on ombudsy issues close to my heart. Marcia Riley
Director and Ombudsperson for Students and Postdoctoral Appointees Marcia Gee Riley is currently the Director and Ombudsperson for Students and Postdoctoral Appointees at the University of California, Berkeley. She has served in this role for over eleven years. Marcia joined IOA in 2010 and attended her first IOA conference in 2011. She has been a member of the conference committee since 2012 and served as co-chair of the conference from 2014 – 2016. Marcia served on the IOA Management Transition Task Force in 2018 and the IOA Executive Director Search in 2019. She was excited to shadow/teach Foundations in New Orleans in April of 2019. She is also in her fourth year serving as Co-Convener of the California Caucus of College and University Ombuds, an international gathering of ombuds professionals in higher education. Prior to becoming an ombudsperson, Marcia served in many student services roles during her thirty-plus years on staff at Cal where she attended as an undergraduate student. She earned her M.S. in Counseling with an emphasis in Higher Education from Cal State University, Hayward. She is a native of Oakland, California where she lives with her husband and has two sons in college. Marcia enjoys good food and long dog walks with friends. Statement of Interest: I am very interested in working with the current leadership in taking IOA to the next level. I see the potential for our organization and recognize that it will require our members to experience change, which can be difficult. I have many years of experience at my current institution with change management. I hope to contribute good ideas and perspective as we work to grow our profession and IOA as a professional organization while also providing a positive change experience for its members. Ronnie Thomson
Since 2013 Ronnie Thomson has served as Halliburton’s first field ombudsman located in Carrollton, Texas. In 2001 Ronnie answered the call to become the Program Manager and Ombudsman with Dresser, Inc., a Halliburton spin-off. Ronnie currently serves on IOA’s Board of Directors as Secretary and chairs the Mentoring Committee. She holds additional memberships in The Corporate Organizational Ombuds Roundtable (COOR) and the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR). Ronnie received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Personnel Management from The University of Southern Mississippi. During her prior human resources career, Ronnie earned the designation of Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) and Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). In addition to continuing education through IOA since 2001, she successfully passed the first-ever certification exam toward becoming a CO-OP in November 2009. Ronnie also completed a Conflict Management Specialist Certificate in 2011, Certificate in the Art of Spiritual Direction in 2013, and an eighteen-week training program for Stephen Ministry in 2019. Statement of Interest: I believe in the mission of the IOA to protect, promote, and provide services to the organizational ombuds profession. In continuing to serve on the Board of Directors, I will provide leadership to help the organization stay focused on that mission and to develop a strategic plan to maximize IOA’s growth potential. Lee Twyman
Lee served as the Ombudsperson for faculty, staff and students at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) between 2006 and 2019. She was also a tenured, Associate Professor at RIT, where she served as a counselor and Chairperson for the NTID Counseling Department for almost 25 years. Lee trained as a personal coach and mediator. Lee is also a licensed marriage and family therapist. She retired from RIT in June 2019. Lee continues to be an active member of the International Ombudsman Association where she served as Chair for the IOA Professional Development Committee (PDC) and is currently serving on the IOA Board of Directors as Treasurer. She has created and taught numerous courses and workshops for ombudsmen from the university, government and corporate sectors in the US and internationally. Lee is also a student of meditation and mindfulness and is interested in these concepts as they apply to ombuds practice and mental health. Statement of Interest: I will be completing a three-year term on the IOA Board of Directors in April 2020 and am very interested in continuing as a director to provide focus and extend the work of the Board, fully engage in the development of a new strategic plan and support our volunteer leaders and members. I believe my work as a Board member is not yet done. I see the organization in a continued state of evolution transition and would welcome the opportunity to extend my skills, experience and “institutional memory” and skills to the IOA through continued Board service. Vote Now |
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Retired Ombudsperson