The UMass Amherst Ombuds Resource

Confidential. Independent. Impartial. Informal.

If you experience any kind of workplace issue and you are not sure what to do or who to talk to, the ombuds team is here for you!

We can help with any workplace issue, including:

Communication challenges
Abrasive behavior
Unethical behavior
Microaggressions
Perceived unfair treatment
Perceived harassment/discrimination

Challenging group dynamics
Accusations against you
Fear of speaking up
Confusing/concerning processes or procedures
Any other concern, big or small

In a confidential, off-the-record meeting, we will listen, explore different options for addressing your concerns, help you navigate relevant organizational resources, and coach you through how to effectively communicate your concerns to others should you choose to do so. We can also help facilitate informal discussions between two or more people when appropriate or work with groups experiencing conflict.

What is an ombuds? The term “ombuds” (pronounced “ahm–buhds”) comes from a Swedish term meaning “a person who has an ear to the people.” The ombuds team is an independent, impartial, informal, and confidential resource for UMass students, faculty and staff. The ombuds team has three ombuds (Derrick Johnson, Birthe Reimers, and Larry Hunt, see bios below) available to work with students, faculty and staff to effectively manage, address, and surface university-related issues. The ombuds team supplements and does not replace formal administrative channels.

FAQs:

For answers to frequently asked questions about the ombuds resource, please see this page: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

About the Ombuds Team at UMass Amherst:

Derrick Johnson is a member of MWI’s Outsourced Ombuds Panel and has served as an ombuds at Florida State College at Jacksonville since 2018. Derrick has worked in the areas of education as a manager of student services and counseling in substance abuse, juvenile justice, and vocational rehabilitation, for over 15 years. Derrick is an experienced service professional in the educational field who has partnered with students, parents, faculty, staff and administration to offer superior quality services in assisting stakeholders with navigating their academic, and social conflicts. After spending over a decade working in education and counseling, background informs his work as an ombuds, namely, to assist visitors and help clients develop policies and processes that continue to build equality among program stakeholders. Derrick is completing a Doctoral degree (Ed. D.) in educational innovation at the University of South Florida. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Georgia Southwestern State University and a master’s degree in education counseling from Albany State University in Georgia. Schedule a time to talk with Derrick by sending an email to derrick-ombuds@mwi.org or by calling 904-800-9946.

Birthe Reimers, Ph.D. is the 2023 recipient of the Association for Conflict Resolution’s William J. Kreidler Award for Distinguished Service to Expanding Knowledge in the Field of Conflict Resolution. Birthe is an ombuds, mediator, coach, and published conflict scholar-practitioner with 17 years of experience in the field. Her most recent article in the JIOA was published in 2024. Birthe earned her Ph.D. in International Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University in 2015 and has been an Ombuds as well as a member of the International Ombuds Association since 2016. Since January 2018, she has been directing the Office of the Ombudsperson at Georgia State University, the largest public university in Georgia. In this role, Birthe serves as a confidential thought partner, conflict coach, and facilitator of challenging conversations for administrators, faculty, staff, students, their family members, and alumni across seven campuses. To support positive transformations at the university she provides upward feedback to university leadership about systemic challenges as well as trends in the campus climate and organizational culture. Birthe also develops and facilitates conflict management-related workshops to empower and equip participants with key analytical and applied tools to engage in conflict constructively. Much of her conflict management work has intersected with DEIB efforts, drawing on her own experiences as a German national living in the United States and her formal education in African American Studies and International Conflict Management. Schedule a time to talk with Birthe by sending an email to birthe-ombuds@mwi.org or by calling 404-692-0505.

Larry Hunt is an ombuds with MWI and has worked as the ombuds for Amherst College since 2019, following a career as HR Director for Smith College, Tufts University, and the J. Paul Getty Museum and Foundation. He has taught as an adjunct faculty member of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst Management School. He regularly works with staff, faculty, and administrators in conflict coaching, facilitating conversations, mediating disputes, giving referrals and providing upward feedback to effect positive organizational change. Larry has spent his career helping people navigate their way through conflict situations. He brings extensive experience and a strong theoretical background in analyzing and mediating disputes at the interpersonal and organizational level. Larry completed the graduate certificate program in Conflict and Dispute Resolution at the University of Massachusetts, Boston and interned as a mediator in the court system. He was trained by the International Ombuds Association (IOA) in their Foundations of Organizational Ombuds Practice Course. He is an experienced executive and management coach and has consulted in this capacity and as a mediation and employee relations consultant for a wide variety of health care, education, and municipal organizations. Schedule a time to talk with Larry by sending an email to larry-ombuds@mwi.org or by calling 413-529-4035.

Contact

Email: Email any member of the UMass Amherst Ombuds Team at the email addresses provided here – derrick-ombuds@mwi.org, birthe-ombuds@mwi.org, larry-ombuds@mwi.org
Confidential web form: If you have a concern at work and would like to raise it in confidence, please feel free to fill out the web form below.
Phone: Derrick at 904-800-9946, Birthe at 404-692-0505, and Larry at 413-529-4035 (direct and confidential phone and voicemail).

Any ombuds team member will get back to you within one business day.

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The UMass Amherst Ombuds Team was established under a charter. A copy of that charter is available here. The charter incorporates by reference the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the International Ombuds Association (IOA) and requires that the UMass Amherst Ombuds Team adhere to the IOA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. The charter, as well as the IOA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, contain important information about the UMass Amherst Ombuds Team and the manner in which it functions. Due to the independent, impartial, informal, and confidential nature of the ombuds function, communication with the ombuds does not constitute formal notice to the UMass Amherst.