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Outsourced Organizational Ombuds

MWI’s Outsourced Organizational Ombuds service provides a confidential haven for employees, faculty, staff, and students to address and resolve workplace challenges. Our Ombuds serve as impartial guides, fostering an environment where concerns can be surfaced and resolved. Available to all visitors, we offer independent and confidential assistance.

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Transform Conflict Into Growth

Embark on a journey to transform conflicts into opportunities for growth and understanding. MWI’s conflict transformation approach goes beyond resolution and standard human resource procedures; it aims to create positive change within your organization.

What’s Included

  • Industry expert advice
  • Neutral unbiased perspective
  • Legality fees and protection
  • Problem forecasting
  • Reading material

Sample Mediators

Nnena Odim

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Outsourced Ombuds
nnena-ombuds@mwi.org

Nnena Odim is a mediator, ombuds, attorney, trainer, and consultant. She has been mediating since 1997, and has mediated disputes involving issues such as employment, housing, business, consumer, academic/higher education, and the full range of family/domestic relations (divorce, unmarried parents, elder care, adoption, etc.). Nnena has also designed and/or led conflict management trainings for several local and national businesses and agencies, including the Boston Public Schools, Massachusetts Housing Authority, Neighborhood Works, Coca-Cola, and Netflix. In addition to her mediation and conflict resolution training background, Nnena is trained by the International Ombuds Association and has served as an ombuds for CVS, American Planning Association, and several local construction companies. After 25 years, Nnena has recently retired from Harvard Law School, where she was the Director and Senior Clinical Instructor of the Family/Domestic Violence Law Clinic at Harvard’s Legal Services Center. In addition to being an active practicing attorney in Massachusetts Family and Probate Courts, she provided experiential training to law students and taught them how to become effective and ethical attorneys.

Nnena has worked with the Harvard Mediation Program (HMP) and Harvard Program on Negotiation to provide trainings for students and community members, and to supervise Harvard Law School students in their mediation and negotiation studies. She served as a faculty and coach of mediation skills for trainings at Suffolk and Boston College Law Schools, MIT, and New England School of Law. Nnena has also served on numerous panels and speaking rosters for a variety of topics, including those on self-care and mental health for students and faculty, establishing boundaries in a professional setting, race and gender, and LGBTQ+ rights.

Nnena is a member of the HMP Advisory Board. In 2019, Nnena was honored by the Harvard Women’s Law Association International Committee. In 2015, she received the Harvard Law School Dean’s Award for Excellence, and in 2013, Nnena was a Top Women in the Law award recipient from Mass. Lawyers Weekly.

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Josh Hoch

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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Ben Stich

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Mediating Divorce & Family Cases via Zoom
617-895-4028 | divorce@mwi.org

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Dispute Resolution Experience

Ben Stich is a family and divorce mediator with MWI. He mediates conflicts of all kinds, specializing in family disputes. He mediates divorce, co-parenting conflict, and marital issues. Ben also mediates all types of family disputes such as conflict between parents and their adult children; adult siblings; and parents and their teenage children. Ben also helps families improve their co-parenting as an instructor for the state’s only High Conflict Parent Education program at William James College.

In addition to mediating, Ben is certified in the Think:Kids Collaborate Problem Solving© model and works with Think:Kids at MGH’s Department of Psychiatry to help families, educators, and clinicians work effectively with children and teens who exhibit challenging behaviors .

Ben is a licensed independent clinical social worker and an active member of the Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation and the Massachusetts’ chapter of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts.

Focus Areas

  • Divorce for short-term and long-term marriages
  • Co-Parenting plans
  • Custody disputes
  • Parent-Teen Conflict
  • Marriage Problems
  • Interim separation agreements
  • Asset and liability division
  • Property division
  • High conflict divorce matters
  • Elder and estate disputes

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

  • Member, Massachusetts Council for Family Mediation (MCFM)
  • Licensed Independent Social Worker (LICSW)
  • School Adjustment Counselor License
  • Member, National Association of Social Workers
  • Collaborative Problem Solving Certification from Mass General’s Department of Psychiatry’s Think:Kids program
  • Member, AFCC

Lectures and ADR Trainings Conducted & Publications

  • “Better Parent” Parent Education Program, June 2016 – August 2021
  • Parenting Apart Instructor for the Divorce Center, 2014 – 2016
  • Communication and Conflict Blogger, 2013 – present
  • Communication Workshop for the Parent/Professional Advocacy League, 2014
  • High Conflict Divorce Mediation Training, 2013
  • Collaborative Problem Solving for:
    – Canton School District, Central Cabinet, 2011-2012
    – MENTOR Network – Therapeutic Foster Care Program, 2011
    – Massachusetts School Counselors Association – Guidance Administrators Forum, 2011
  • More Than Words, Workplace Communication Workshop, 2010
  • Germaine Lawrence, Family Communication Workshop, Co-Facilitator, (2001 – 2005)
  • Residential Treatment for Adolescent Girls for:
    – National Child Welfare League of America Conference (2005)
    – MASOC Annual Conference (2005-2009)
    – Tenth National Workshop on Adult and Juvenile Female Offenders (2003)

Background and Education

  • M.Ed in Organizational Development, Endicott College
  • MSW, Boston College, 2001
  • BA, Trinity College, 1996

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Daniele Ozeri

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Mediating Divorce Cases via Zoom
617-895-4028 | divorce@mwi.org

Dispute Resolution Experience

Daniele Ozeri has been a divorce and family mediator with MWI since the summer of 2017. She has a Master’s degree in conflict management and resolution from Bar-Ilan University, Israel. She is the editor of a book entitled “Re-Envisioning Conflict Resolution: Vision, Action and Evaluation in Creative Conflict Engagement” published in 2017 by Routledge Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution. Daniele has extensive experience mediating a variety of cases ranging from mediations in the labor courts in Tel-Aviv, identity-based conflicts in Jerusalem, and consumer disputes and divorce cases in Boston.

Representative Matters

  • Divorce Mediation
  • Parenting Plans
  • Child Support
  • Property Division
  • Identity-based disputes
  • South Boston Municipal Court cases
  • Dorchester District Court cases

Professional Affiliations

  • Herbert C. Kelman Institute for Interactive Conflict Transformation
  • ARIA Group for Conflict Engagement
  • Forward Thinking, Frontline Mediation
  • Bar-Ilan University
  • Israel Democracy Institute

Background and Education

  • Smith College (B.A., 2012)
  • Bar-Ilan University, Israel (M.A. in Conflict Management & Resolution, 2017)
  • Mediation Training Program, Certificate of Completion, MWI, 2017
  • Advanced Divorce Mediation Training Program, Certificate of Completion, October 2017

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