Thomas Zgambo and Toni Robinson have joined special assistant to the president Mary Rowe in the MIT ombudspersons office.
In making the announcement, Adjunct Professor of Management Rowe, the Institute's ombudsperson, noted that J.J. Jackson had returned to full-time duty in the Provost's Office. Ms. Jackson had been a part-time ombudsperson.
Dr. Zgambo, who has a PhD in analytical chemistry and material science from the University of North Texas and an MBS in management of technology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, will be a conflict management trainer as well as an ombudsperson.
Before joining MIT, he worked at the Polaroid Corp. for 11 years, including the last three and a half as the corporate onbudsperson. Before becoming an ombudsperson, he served in various technical and managerial positions for the company. Prior to that, he was a project chemist at the Gillette Company's Boston research and development laboratories.
Dr. Zgambo is a volunteer mediator with Mediation Works Inc. at the Plymouth County Small Claims Court and for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD). He is a member of The Ombudsman Association (TOA). He also has been involved in conflict resolution training, manager-employee coaching, performance evaluations coaching and resolving employee disputes as a neutral third party.
Ms. Robinson, first vice president of ADR (for alternate dispute resolution) Options Consulting Inc., works half-time at MIT. She was deputy ombudsman for the Social Security Administration from 1990-93 and manager for civil rights and equal opportunity for SSA's Region X (Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska) from 1993-95. She works as a volunteer mediator/trainer and for the Snohomish/Island County Dispute Resolution Center and the Seattle Federal Executive Board ADR Consortium.
Ms. Robinson, who has an MS in behavioral science from Johns Hopkins University and a JD from the Seattle University School of Law, specializes in dispute resolution systems design, mediation and training. She mediates workplace disputes for the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission and federal, state, county and city agencies as well as private industry.
MIT ombudspersons are neutral, independent, informal complaint handlers. They provide information about policies and procedures, accept suggestions and data from people who wish to express concerns, and help work for orderly and responsible change. All contact with the office is confidential.
The ombudspersons may be reached at x3-5921. Their office is located in Rm 10-213.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on November 18, 1998.
