FAQs
Please see this page for answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the ombuds resource.
AEA Member Workshops
Workshops are designed to provide information, skill development, and tools, relating to conflict management and the ombuds team resource. Click the button above for more information and to register.
Visitor Resources
Here’s a bank of resources for articles, videos, tip sheets that can help you strategize and develop skills to help you overcome communication and conflict challenges.
AEA Reporting LockBox
The Report Lockbox is a secure reporting channel separate from the Ombuds Resource where AEA Members can confidentially report conduct or circumstances of potential violations of the AEA Policy on Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation (“Policy”) or the AEA Code of Professional Conduct by another AEA Member, called a “person of concern”. All names shared to the Reporting Lockbox are confidential. This may be a desirable resource for anyone who is not ready or willing to file a complaint under the Policy but who wants to create a record on inappropriate behaviour of another AEA member. In the event that another report to the Reporting Lockbox identifies inappropriate behaviour of the same person of concern, the identity of each reporter would be disclosed to other reporters, with their express permission, so they could determine whether they wanted to file a formal complaint with the AEA. For more information about the Reporting Lockbox, please click here.
About the Ombuds Team:
The AEA members should contact one of the following ombuds below to discuss options for resolution:
Charmhee Kim (charmhee-ombuds@mwi.org and 845-213-6818) is an experienced ombuds and cross-cultural trainer with MWI. She served as an ombuds for 15 years at McKinsey & Company, a global management consultancy, addressing workplace conflicts including harassment and discrimination claims, career development concerns, and other challenges. She has been an active member of the International Ombuds Association (IOA) since 2007 and was trained in its Foundations of Organizational Ombudsman Practice Course which she later taught as faculty. Charmhee served on the IOA Board of Directors and co-chaired its Global Marketing Task Force. Prior to entering the ombuds profession, Charmhee worked as a management consultant, investment banker, and public affairs specialist with the United Nations. She holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and an MA from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. Charmhee is trilingual in English, Korean, and Mandarin Chinese.
Nnena Odim (nnena-ombuds@mwi.org and 617-898-0938) is a mediator, ombuds, attorney, trainer, and consultant. She has been mediating since 1997, and has mediated disputes involving issues such as employment, housing, business, consumer, academic/higher education, and domestic relations. Nnena has also designed and/or led conflict management trainings for several local and national businesses and agencies, including the Boston Public Schools, Massachusetts Housing Authority, Neighborhood Works, Coca-Cola, and Netflix. In addition to her mediation and conflict resolution training background, Nnena is trained by the International Ombuds Association and has served as an ombuds for CVS, American Planning Association, and several local construction companies. After 25 years, Nnena has recently retired from Harvard Law School, where she was the Director and Senior Clinical Instructor of the Family/Domestic Violence Law Clinic at Harvard’s Legal Services Center. In addition to being an active practicing attorney in Massachusetts Family and Probate Courts, she provided experiential training to law students and taught them how to become effective and ethical attorneys. Nnena has worked with the Harvard Mediation Program (HMP) and Harvard Program on Negotiation to provide trainings for students and community members, and to supervise Harvard Law School students in their mediation and negotiation studies. Nnena has also served on numerous panels and speaking rosters for a variety of topics, including those on self-care and mental health for students and faculty, establishing boundaries in a professional setting, race and gender, and LGBTQ+ rights. In 2019, Nnena was honored by the Harvard Women’s Law Association International Committee. In 2015, she received the Harvard Law School Dean’s Award for Excellence, and in 2013, Nnena was a Top Women in the Law award recipient from Mass. Lawyers Weekly.
Brent Epperson, (brent-ombuds@mwi.org and 916-407-1746) is an ombuds with MWI. A practicing ombuds for 10 years in North America and Europe, Brent is passionate about good governance and developing healthy workplace cultures. An Assistant Professor of Conflict Studies at Saint Paul University, in Ottawa, Ontario, Brent teaches and publishes in the areas of ombuds practice, mediation, good governance (health and higher education sectors), issue framing, and policy development to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). Brent has ombuds experience in the higher education, financial, and health care industries. He completed his Master of Public Administration at the University of Montana (U.S.), his PhD at the University of Alberta (Canada), and his postdoctoral work at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS, France). A Board Member of the European Network of Ombuds in Higher Education (ENOHE), Associate Member of the Association of Canadian College and University Ombuds (ACCUO), and Member of the International Ombuds Association (IOA), he is active in the global ombuds community and committed to expanding ombuds practice to help organizations create more effective conflict management systems. He is fully bilingual in English and French.
Contact
- Email: Email any member of the Ombuds Team at the email addresses provided here – Charmhee at charmhee-ombuds@mwi.org, Nnena at nnena-ombuds@mwi.org, or Brent at brent-ombuds@mwi.org.
- Please use email for scheduling only. Email and voicemail cannot be guaranteed to be confidential, so do not include any details about your questions, situation, or concerns. If you share the best way to reach you, an ombuds will follow up to schedule an appointment.
- Confidential web form: If you have a concern and would like to raise it confidently, please feel free to fill out the web form below.
- If you would like to schedule an appointment with an ombuds team member, please include your preferred contact information and indicate which ombuds you would like to work with or whether you prefer to speak with the first available one. To share a concern anonymously, please do not include personally identifiable information. An anonymized summary of your comments may be shared with the organization unless you indicate otherwise on this form.
A member of the Ombuds Team will get back to you within one business day.
