MBB Ombuds Team
Ombuds Overview
An ombudsman is an official charged with representing the interests of a group by investigating and addressing complaints reported by members. Modern variations of this term include "ombuds;" we have chosen this as a neutral non-gender-specific term for our team.
MBB Ombuds Role
- We are independent, impartial, and neutral
- We review facts
- We investigate complaints about fairness
- We are ADR (alternative dispute resolution) practitioners
MBB Ombuds Team Members
Chris LaHatte has been a lawyer for more than 37 years. He qualified at the University of Auckland and was admitted to the Bar in 1978. He later obtained a Masters degree in Dispute Resolution from Massey University. He has practiced as a barrister in New Zealand and other countries. Chris has a diverse legal background and has appeared in all levels of courts and tribunals in New Zealand. He has had cases reported in official law reports and published many articles in legal journals. He has also acted as a lawyer for clients in many mediations and acted as a mediator. Chris is a member of the International Ombudsman Association and an individual member of the International Ombudsman Institute. He has published papers on Ombudsman issues in New Zealand Lawyer and in the International Ombudsman Association Journal.
Ayo Ayoola-Amale is a Skilled Mediator, Arbitrator, Solicitor, and Ombudsman with experience as a commercial, community mediator/ ombudsman. She possesses administrative and organizational skills and reputation for achieving results through forging cooperative alliances, implementing innovative solutions, and motivating teams to achieve ambitious goals. She is comfortable and competent in local, national and international environments. She is qualified with a Bachelor of Laws, and a Masters of Law in law and ADR. She has an extensive background in both the private practice of law and as a partner in a major firm in Lagos. She also lectures at Wisconsin International University and Ghana Technology University College in Accra, Ghana, has considerable mediation experience and is a regional representative to the World Mediation Organisation.
Yolanda Collins, is a Community Mediator for a United States inner-city program. Here her passion and humility grew exponentially with the number of requests by families, neighbors, and strangers in dispute wanting to come to a resolution. Her ability to gain trust from parties gained her recognition and awards for volunteerism. Using her grassroots experience she built a platform as the State of Maryland first municipal Ombuds. Her skills as a practitioner did not go unnoticed. Responding to the biggest national disaster of the United States, Hurricane Katrina, Yolanda was selected as a founding member of the elite Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency's Alternative Dispute Resolution Cadre and the first embedded neutral in a disaster operation. Yolanda brings enthusiasm, experience, guidance and passion as a mediator, neutral, and practicing ombudsman.
The MBB Ombuds Team has jurisdiction over issues about:
- Actions done (or not done) by MBB, including the Board or Directors and management
- Activities or behavior that you believe are unfair
- Discrimination, particularly on the basis of race, gender or disability
- Bullying by someone in your team or your team leader
Please contact the Ombuds lead at ombuds@mediatorsbeyondborders.org or if you prefer that the Ombuds lead contact you by phone, please send an email providing a number, date and time where you can be reached.