Session Block 1: 3 APRIL | 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM PT

Session 1A | Ombuds “Pinspiration” and Change Agent in the Tech Sector: Introduction to the Pinterest Ombuds Program

As the organizational ombuds profession grows, its value has recently been recognized in the technology sector. New programs have emerged in tech, including at the visual discovery engine Pinterest. Committed to advancing emotional well-being and creating a more inspiring internet for all, Pinterest launched its first Ombuds program (OP) in 2022.

This session will include a discussion about the program’s “origin story,” outreach and education done prior to the program’s launch, learning and development built into the program design, themes that arise in tech, plans for the OP to complement existing data points and fill in data “gaps,” serving a global workforce in a “PinFlex” hybrid work environment, and an innovative approach to the provision of Ombuds services, including working with an external Ombuds partner.

The Pinterest Ombuds team will be joined by the Pinterest Chief Human Resources Officer, and a member of the Compliance Legal team to discuss cross-functional partnerships and collaborative efforts toward the creation and implementation of an Ombuds program that aligns with the company mission and values and maximizes the Ombuds impact on a positive and inspired culture.

In this session: 

• Have a greater understanding of the unique backdrop of the tech sector, and how Ombuds programs can help mitigate risks and address issues impacting company culture
• Learn how new programs can incorporate skill-building and learning opportunities into outreach and program design
• Have opportunities to discuss effective ways for Ombuds programs to do outreach and effectively serve individuals and teams in a hybrid work environment
• Learn and understand how Ombuds programs can build a robust data capture, analysis, and reporting system in order to complement organizational data points and explore filling “gaps” in existing data
• Have a greater understanding of how Ombuds can effectively build cross-functional collaborations with leadership and other organizational teams towards an integrated issue and conflict management system, while staying true to IOA standards of practice
• Learn innovative approaches to the provision of Ombuds services.

Donna Douglass Williams is Head of Ombuds at Pinterest, recently launched as one of the first Ombuds programs in the tech sector. Donna has over twenty years of experience as an attorney, mediator, facilitator, trainer, and organizational ombudsperson, and is the former Director of the Ombuds Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she led Ombuds services to MDACC’s faculty, staff, and trainees. Donna previously held the position of Ombudsperson for the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland serving WHO and UNAIDS staff in global duty stations. Donna’s experience also includes consultant ombudsperson for the United Nations Funds and Programmes, responsible for serving global staff in several UN agencies, including UNICEF, UNDP, UN Women, and UNFPA. Donna also served as Ombudsperson at UConn Health, working with faculty, staff, graduate students, and residents, and was the inaugural Ombudsperson for the South Korea based Green Climate Fund (GCF), the financial mechanism within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change that assists developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change. Her professional experience includes work as a corporate attorney for Equifax, Ombudsperson at Georgia State University, and systemwide mediator and mediator coach with the Consortium on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in the GSU College of Law. Donna is a member of the Georgia State Bar, holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Purdue University, and a law degree from the University of California, Davis King Hall School of Law. 

Christine Deputy joined Pinterest in June of 2021 as Chief People Officer. Christine and her team will support the Pinterest global employee base as the company grows. Christine will focus on developing a world-class employee experience to attract, retain and develop the best and most diverse talent in the industry.
Christine has an extensive track record leading all areas of human resources, diversity, and talent management for a number of high-profile global brands.  Her experiences have focused on high growth and helping companies transform their culture and business to deliver to the ever-changing needs of customers. She has lived and worked in the US, Canada, the UK, and Hong Kong, and worked across retail, food, fashion, banking, and insurance, giving her a unique global perspective.
Prior to joining Pinterest, Christine was CHRO at Nordstrom, Chief Human Resources & Communications Officer for Aviva, a British multinational insurance and asset management company. Christine also served as director, human resources, Global Retail, and Business Banking for Barclays; Chief Human Resources Officer for Dunkin’ Brands from 1998–2009 Christine held a variety of leadership roles at Starbucks in the United States, Asia, and Canada.
Christine has a B.A. in Psychology from George Washington University in Washington D.C.

Teresa Ralicki is Ombuds Analyst at Pinterest. Teresa's conflict resolution practice started when she became a peer mediator in 5th grade. Since then, she continued mediating and studying conflict all the way through graduate school. For over 10 years, Teresa has worked as an Ombuds, coaching individuals one-on-one, mediating, facilitating group conflict, and supporting organizational change leadership and creating and conducting training for the American Red Cross and the University of Colorado. In addition, she conducted community mediations and restorative justice processes for juvenile offenders. Teresa Ralicki is also the founder and creator of Ombuds Institute, which provides trainings and resources for ombuds in all stages of their careers and professional development.

Shawday Berstler is Ombuds Program Manager at Pinterest. Shawday has over 10 years of experience in business support roles including administrative support, office management, project management, and event planning—so she is no stranger to supporting those around her and helping to remove roadblocks for individuals/teams. After working for multiple tech companies, including Apple's corporate headquarters, Shawday joined Pinterest in August 2020 as an Administrative Business Partner and moved into the role of Ombuds Program Manager in February 2022. Together with Donna Douglass Williams, they built the program from the ground up and launched it in less than three months. The opportunity to help contribute to the inspired culture at a company she has grown to love is something she is very thankful for and energized by. While she is new to the Ombuds field, she feels it's the work she was called to do because helping others is what truly “fills her cup".

Amira Day Dallafior currently serves as Senior Director and Assistant General Counsel, Global Labor & Employment at Pinterest, Inc. leading the team covering Pinterest’s global labor and employment law matters. Prior to that, Amira worked at Facebook, Inc. (now named Meta Platforms, Inc.) for over seven years, most recently as Associate General Counsel, Labor & Employment covering its Global Marketing and Sales organization. Amira also worked as Managing Associate at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP before going in-house. Amira received her J.D. from the University of California Berkeley School of Law and her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles. Amira also serves on the national board of directors for Girls Leadership, a non-profit dedicated to teaching girls to exercise the power of their voice through programs grounded in social-emotional learning.

Patty Lee, Senior Compliance Manager and Investigator, Pinterest

Kishorn Henry-Walker, (former HR Business Partner, Pinterest) HR Business Partner at Gusto

Target Audience: Emerging Ombuds, Established Ombuds, and Experienced Ombuds*

Session 1B | A Novel Idea For Reengaging Those In Conflict

We all experience conflict that brings us stress in our lives, and how we deal with that stress makes all the difference between personal success and self-sabotage. Using an innovative technique, Professor Pete Alexander will lead a short, interactive experience to teach attendees how to get quick and easy stress relief in just minutes.

In this session:

• Recall a recent conflict they had with another individual
• Learn how to disassociate from the conflict
• Experience reduced stress from applying the disassociation technique

Pete Alexander, Antioch University, is the President of Office Plants by Everything Grows, a professor, and an Amazon best-selling author who inspires hard-driving leaders to better protect their health and handle challenging situations with grace and success.

Target Audience: Emerging Ombuds*

Session 1C | The Humility Project: Thinking of Our Ombuds' Selves Less

This presentation will discuss humility and how encouraging humility in our organizations is crucial to our roles as Ombuds. We will explore what humility is, why humility is important, how to practice humility, and how to encourage visitors and leaders to practice humility. Humility can be a game changer in communication, conflict resolution, and leadership, and we as Ombuds have a responsibility to both model and promote humility in our organizations.

In this session:

• Understand humility and how it relates to communication, conflict resolution, leadership, and our work as Ombuds.
• Recognize the need to encourage humility in our organizations.
• Learn ways of practicing humility as Ombuds. Discuss ways of encouraging humility with our visitors and leaders at our organizations.

Tessa Byer came to Clemson as the Staff Ombuds in August 2021. She has been a mediator, conflict coach, trainer, and Ombuds consultant since 2015, and she has provided conflict resolution in many contexts, including divorce, workplace, family, religious, landlord/tenant, permanency, and harassment prevention.  After working as a mediator in Cambridge, MA, she founded The Resolved Approach, which provides affordable mediation and Ombuds services to individuals and organizations.  In 2015, she received a Master of Arts in Coexistence and Conflict from Brandeis University, where she wrote her thesis about the role of Ombuds offices in college and university settings.

Target Audience: Emerging Ombuds*

Session 1D | Try Again: Reengaging with Games in Ombuds Marketing and Practice

In this lively interactive session, participants will hear how three types of games have helped to market an academic ombuds office, discussing the utility of games in marketing and how they might be integrated into the practice of ombuds work itself. After playing a quick online text video game, participants will brainstorm game ideas they can bring back to their own offices, allowing them to engage visitors in imaginative new ways.

In this session:

• Learn how three game types have been used to market an academic ombuds office
• Analyze the potential for games as a conflict resolution tool in ombuds practice
• Experience an ombuds-themed game and brainstorm game ideas

David G. Schwartz, Ph.D., CO-OP, is Ombuds at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. An Atlantic City, New Jersey native and former casino employee, Schwartz has written and edited books on several topics, including the Sands hotel, the Wire Act, gambling history, Las Vegas casino builder Jay Sarno, and Atlantic City. He earned his Ph.D. in United States History from UCLA and teaches classes on a variety of topics, including casino history, video games, conspiracy theories, and alternate history.

Target Audience: Emerging Ombuds, Established Ombuds, and Experienced Ombuds*

*Emerging Ombuds (0-3 years of practice and/or knowledge in topical area)

*Established Ombuds (3-9 years of practice and/or knowledge in topical area)

*Experienced Ombuds (More than 10 years of practice and/or knowledge in topical area)

3 April | 4 April | 5 April