Chancellor Appoints Inaugural University Ombudsperson
Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco has appointed Martha Nelson Patrick as UMass Boston’s inaugural University Ombudsperson and Director of Ombuds Services. This newly created position reports directly to the chancellor and serves as an independent resource for impartial dispute resolution.
Nelson Patrick comes to UMass Boston from our sister campus in Amherst, where she served in several roles over the past 23 years. In 2021, she was named university ombudsperson at UMass Amherst, following more than a decade of serving as the associate and assistant ombudsperson. Before joining the Ombuds Office, she served as director of community relations at UMass Amherst for 10 years.
Nelson Patrick holds a bachelor’s degree in American Studies and Government from Smith College and a masters in higher education from UMass Amherst. Furthermore, she has undertaken extensive training in facilitation, conflict coaching, and mediation. Notably, she has also earned designation as a Certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner (CO-OP®) from the International Ombuds Association, which sets the standards of practice and ethical principles for the profession.
In her new role, Nelson Patrick will provide confidential assistance to our UMass Boston community — students, faculty, and staff — with university-related conflicts or concerns. She will help individuals navigate our campus policies and resources, offer informal conflict resolution services, and advocate for fair treatment and a fair and equitable process.
"I am very pleased that Martha is joining our Beacon community," said Chancellor Suárez-Orozco. "The creation of the ombudsperson position reflects our university’s ongoing commitment to continuous improvement, and the ideals of fairness, equity, dignity, and respect for all members of our campus community."
In addition to providing ombuds services for individuals and groups, this new position will be instrumental in furthering our university’s mission. The ombudsperson helps to identify emerging trends and institutional decisions or policies that may warrant review and elevates those emerging trends or issues to the campus leadership as appropriate.