Communications Committee

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Samantha Levine-Finley, Co-Chair
Associate Ombudsman,  NIH Center for Cooperative Resolution  
T: 301-451-6448  
levinesa@od.nih.gov

 

Tom Ward, Co-Chair
Ombudsman for Staff
Clemson University
T: 864-656-5353
tomward@clemson.edu

 

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Viola Abbitt (liaison to IOA Finance Committee), NY State Office of Children and Family Services

Eric Berger (liaison from the IOA Legal & Legislative Affairs Committee), Deloitte Consulting

Larry Cohen, Yale University

Andrew Cohn, Lighthouse Consulting, LLC

Nick Diehl, American Red Cross

Kerry Egdorf (liaison from the IOA Board of Directors), Marquette University

Jean Griffin, University of Cincinnati

Dawn Miller-Sander, Eastern Mennonite University

Merle Waxman, Yale University

Lisa Witzler, National Institutes of Health

 

TO JOIN THE COMMITTEE

Please contact:

Samantha Levine-Finley at levinesa@od.nih.gov or 301-451-6448

Tom Ward at tomward@clemson.edu or 864-656-5353

 

 

 

 

 

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

 

MISSION

Responsible for developing or guiding IOA’s internal and external communications to support the mission of IOA; advance the organizational ombudsman profession; and ensure that practitioners are able to work to the highest professional standards.

 

PRIORITIES

  • Overall Communications: Provide effective communications to members and those interested in the ombudsman profession.
  • Website: Supervise content of and changes to the IOA website; work on projects to improve and enhance the website’s functionality, appearance, scope and utility.
  • Outreach: Participate in IOA outreach activities, including responding to inquiries, providing informational materials, and identifying opportunities to promote IOA.
  • Newsletter: Assemble and disseminate relevant news to the IOA membership through a regularly published newsletter.
  • Provide recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding communication strategies and opportunities for improved communication to IOA members and external audiences.
  • Contribute to and execute the communications strategies included in the Association’s strategic plan.
  • Assure that the Association’s communications vehicles are in compliance with Board policies concerning advertising, access by non-members, etc.
  • Assure that information and news about the profession and the Association are conveyed to the membership on a timely basis via the appropriate vehicle (including The Independent Voice, blast e-mails to membership, the IOA website, the IOA Annual Report, etc.).

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • Launched redesign and update the IOA website.
  • Surveyed IOA membership to gather feedback about IOA’s quarterly newsletter, The Independent Voice; expanded and refocused the newsletter based on the responses received.
  • Expanded the library of ombudsmen-related articles on the website.
  • Aligned current and future Communications Committee projects to meet the goals outlined in the IOA Strategic Plan.
  • Completed the creation of three videos to be posted on the new IOA website (the videos explain the ombudsman role; invite people to join IOA; and explore the benefits of attendance at the annual IOA conference).
  • Began project to gather and post/link to examples of user satisfaction surveys, charters from ombudsman offices, and other relevant materials.
  • Drafted a set of principles for where to post materials on the IOA website (in the public or Members Only sections).
  • Facilitated a process for which IOA members who provide consultative services can educate the membership about those services via a dedicated space on the website.