Ombuds, Mediator, Director
617-895-4028 | jhoch@mwi.org
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Josh Hoch is an experienced ombuds, mediator, and instructor with MWI since 2001. He is the Director of Ombuds & Mediation Services, overseeing MWI’s Outsourced Ombuds Panel and Conference Ombuds. He has provided ombuds services for notable clients such as CVS Health, Arapahoe Basin, and John Moriarty & Associates. Josh collaborates with organizations seeking conference ombuds services and mediates a diverse range of case types. As MWI’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) liaison, he manages employment and higher education referrals for MWI mediators nationwide. Additionally, Josh conducts advanced mediation training for various clients, including the Executive Office of the Massachusetts Trial Court. He is an active member of the International Ombuds Association (IOA) and the East Coast Ombuds Group (ECOG). With over 24 years at MWI, Josh brings a wealth of experience to his work in conflict resolution.
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Focus Areas
- Organizational Ombuds
- Conference Ombuds
- Workplace and Employment Mediation
- Mediation Training
- Advanced Mediation Training
Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities
- Director of Ombuds Services, MWI (September 2021 – present)
- Board of Directors, Chair of the Development Committee, North and South Rivers Watershed Association (October 2022 – Present)
- Ombuds, Arapahoe Basin (October 2022 – October 2024)
- Ombuds, John Moriarty & Associates (March 2022 – August 2024)
- Ombuds, CVS Health Ombuds Team Member (March 2022 – December 2022)
- Member of the International Ombuds Association (IOA) (September 2021 – present)
- Workplace & Employment Mediator, CLC Inc., Granite Bay, CA (June 2022 – present)
- World Mediators Alliance on Climate Change Green Pledge (July 2021 – present)
- Designed and administered a court-approved Parent Education Program for the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court Department (2016 – 2021)
- Speaker, New England Association of Conflict Resolution (April 2021)
- Designed and supervised a mediation program at the Norfolk Probate and Family Court (September 2013 – 2020)
- Served on the Assistant Judicial Case Manager (AJCM) Transition Working Group for the Chief Justice of the Probate and Family Court in 2019
- Served on the ADR Education Subcommittee for the Massachusetts Trial Court in 2019
- Received recognition for outstanding performance and lasting contributions to the MA AFCC Chapter
- Served for six years – Board of Directors, Massachusetts Oyster Project
- Served for seven years – Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Chapter of AFCC
- Past Member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
- Past Member of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
- Past Member of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation
- Past Member of the New England Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution
- Served as Treasurer for an annual fundraiser for Jimmy Fund Clinic patients and their families, helping to raise over $500,000
Lectures and ADR Trainings Conducted
- Trainer, Mediation and Conciliation Trainer, Executive Office of the Massachusetts Trial Court (June 2023 – Present)
- Presenter, Organizational Ombuds as a Profession, Things a Mediator Might Want to Know About This Unique Role, Rhode Island Mediators Association (April 2023)
- Presenter, Tools for Becoming a More Effective Mediator, Community Dispute Settlement Center (March 2023)
- Understanding the Ombuds Resource On-site at MWI client locations (October 2021 – June 2023)
- Mediation Trainer for Staff of the Boston Municipal Court Department, Executive Office of the Massachusetts Trial Court (June 2022 – present)
- Trainer, Harassment Prevention Mediation Training Program for Mediation Programs in the Juvenile Court Department, Executive Office of the Massachusetts Trial Court (June 2022 – present)
- Trainer, Dispute Resolution Trainer for Probate and Family Court Staff, Executive Office of the Massachusetts Trial Court (June 2022 – present)
- Advanced Divorce Mediation Training Instructor at MWI (April 2005 – June 2022)
- Provided individual mentoring to mediators looking to increase their effectiveness as mediators (June 2003 – June 2022)
- Advanced Mediation Skill Building Trainer for a Community Mediation Program (January 2022)
- Facilitator, Implicit Bias Workshop (May 2021)
- Trainer, Basic Mediation Training Program for the Housing Court Department of the Massachusetts Trial Court (October 2021)
- Trainer, Advanced Dispute Resolution Training for Probation Officers of the Probate and Family Court (March & June 2021)
- Trainer, Juvenile Mediation Training, 2-day Advanced Mediation Training Program (March 2021)
- Presenter, Bringing Mediation Online: Lessons Learned So Far, Massachusetts Council for Family Mediation (February 2021)
- Trainer, Housing, and Eviction Mediation Training for five Massachusetts Community Mediation Centers (December 2020 – January 2021)
- Presenter, Mediating Cases Remotely (Online), Roundtable Event (November 2020)
- Designed and served as an instructor for an Advanced Dispute Resolution Training Program for Probation Officers of the Probate and Family Court. (May 2019 – June 2021)
- Norfolk Probate and Family Court Department, mediation program mentor and supervisor (2013 – 2020)
- AFCC’s 54th Annual Conference: Turning the Kaleidoscope of Family Conflict into a Prism of Harmony, Conference Presenter (May 2017)
- Community Dispute Settlement Center (CDSC), Housing Mediation Trainer (February 2017)
- International Academic Institute of Mediation, Conference Presenter, Divorce Mediation in the Courts, (September 2015)
- Advanced Refresher Mediation Skills Training Program, Presenter (2015 – 2016)
- New England Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution Biennial Regional Conference, Presenter, “I’m a Trained Mediator, Now What do I Do?” (June 2015)
- Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation, Presenter, On-site mediation project in the Norfolk Probate and Family Court Department, (2014)
- Emerson College, Guest Speaker (2014 – 2016)
- New England Law | Boston, Ethical Standards, Presenter, (2005 – 2013)
- Liaison for Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Mediation Practicum (2001 – 2011)
- A Child’s Voice in Court: How to Get It, How to Interpret It and How to Use It, Panel Speaker, (2008)
- Coca-Cola Enterprise Inc., Trainer. Trained over 950 employees in dispute resolution and communication skills and educated over 1700 employees through briefings (Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, New York, Vermont) (2004 – 2006)
- Harvard Law School, Intern Fair, Cambridge, MA, Presenter, (2005)
- Simmons College Graduate School of Social Work, Guest Lecturer, Parent-Teen Mediation (2004)
- Boston University Law School, Court Connected ADR, Guest Speaker, (2003 – 2008)
- Hale and Dorr Legal Services Center, Divorce Mediation Presenter, (2003 – 2004)
- Newton and Lexington Community Education, Presenter: Divorce Information You Want to Know, (2003 – 2005)
- Germaine Lawrence, Family Communication Workshop, Facilitator, (2001 – 2005)
- Southern New England School of Law, Mediation Trainer and Coach (2001 – 2004)
- Northeastern University, undergraduate class, Guest Speaker (2001 – 2002)
Background and Education
- Director of Ombuds Services, MWI (September 2021 – Present)
- Director of Mediation Services, MWI, Boston, MA, (June 2001 – Present)
- Organizational Ombuds Training, IOA, (October 2021)
- Divorce Mediator, MWI, Boston, MA, (2001 – June 2022)
- Divorce Mediator, CLC Inc., Granite Bay, CA, (2004 – June 2022)
- Court & Divorce Mediator, Cambridge, MA, (2001 – 2012)
- Boston Municipal Court Mediator, Boston, MA, (2004 – 2007)
- Prisoner Disputes Mediator, Middlesex Multi-Door Courthouse, Cambridge, MA, (2003 – 2005)
- District Court Mediator, Middlesex Mediation Program, Lowell, MA, (2000 – 2001)
- Staff Member, Academy of Family Mediators, 2000
- B.A. University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 1998
- Mediation Training, L. Wing Mediation Consulting, 1996
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