Congratulations to Vik Kapoor for IAO award!

Congratulations to Vik Kapoor on winning the 2014 International Ombudsman Association (IAO) Writing Competition for his entry entitled “Well-Being at Work and the Positive Organizational Ombuds.” Vik will receive a cash award, a 2015 Associate Membership, and has been invited to the 2015 IOA Annual Conference in Atlanta.

Vik’s submission explores several common conflict scenarios in the workplace through the lens of positive psychology – the scientific study of happiness. Through the use of vignettes, this piece encourages the organizational ombudsperson to consider whether and when applying positive psychology in their practice would be helpful in engaging workplace conflict. His paper will be made available later this year.

Vik received his JD from Georgetown University and his BA in International Development Studies and Political Science from UCLA. Vik is a member of Rotary International and is multilingual in several languages including Japanese, French, and Hindi.

This fall, Vik recently left his position as litigation associate with a private practice law firm in Irvine, CA to accept a position in Washington DC as an attorney at the ADR Division of FEMA. In his new role, Vik provides dispute resolution services to FEMA offices and employees throughout the agency.

Vik has been a member of MBB since 2011. He became the Co-Chair of the Rotary Working Group in 2012. He is currently a member of the MBB’s Training Committee and the Rotary Working Group. Vik describes his experience with MBB as “a wonderful, incredibly supportive, inclusive community that supports your growth and development.”

Image: Vik Kapoor, MBB member and attorney at ADR Division, FEMA Washington DC is pictured here at an Ombuds event, Los Angeles Flight Museum, with Jan Schonauer, former Ombuds for Alliance Bernstein and current ADR Advisor for FEMA.