The Ombuds Profile Project: Mapping a Field in Formation

The Ombuds Profile Project (2002)

By Misa Kelly, currently, in 2025, walking simply as ʻAnakē

This landmark research project, presented at the 2002 California Caucus of College and University Ombuds (CCCUOA) at Asilomar, was one of the first coordinated efforts to document the lived experiences, diverse backgrounds, and visions of campus ombuds across North America.

Led by Misa Kelly, the Ombuds Profile Project posed a deceptively simple question:
“Campus Ombuds: Who are they?”

Through survey data, personal narratives, and comparative analysis, Kelly assembled an evolving portrait of the ombuds as both individual and archetype. The project captured the gendered, educational, and institutional diversity of practitioners at a time when the field was still emerging into broader academic and public recognition.

Key Contributions:

• Composite Profiles: Synthesizing responses from dozens of ombuds to reveal shared traits, values, and challenges.

• Individual Portraits: Honoring the unique pathways, accomplishments, and visions of each contributor.

• Visionary Futures: Articulating a collective dream for the profession’s expansion, ethical clarity, and global reach.

• Framework for Research: Establishing guiding questions about how identity, education, and institutional structures shape ombuds practice.

This project laid foundational groundwork for later efforts such as the Case Study Project and the Ombuds Oral History Project. It remains an essential document for anyone seeking to understand the human and institutional ecology of ombudsing—then and now.

“We learn from each other. We teach by example.”
— Stanley V. Anderson