University of Iowa President J. Bruce Harreld has appointed Rachel Williams university ombudsperson in the Office of the Ombudsperson. Williams will replace Susan Johnson, who will retire this summer after eight years in the position. This role is usually held by a faculty member and is half-time. Williams’s first day will be July 1, 2018.

Williams has taught at the UI since 1999 and is an associate professor with a joint appointment in the School of Art and Art History and the Department of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies, where she is completing a three-year term as DEO. She has won awards for teaching excellence and for faculty service and service to the state of Iowa.

“Rachel’s service has proven that she practices excellence and cares deeply about this university’s community,” Harreld says. “We will continue to benefit from that compassion and skill as she enters her new role.”

In addition, the Office of the Ombudsperson recently added a third member to its staff, Kristal Marlow Gibson, who joined the office as a half-time associate ombudsperson in January. Gibson, a certified mediator, worked for the dean of students as an investigator and adjudicator for Title IX cases before joining the ombud office. Williams and Gibson join Cynthia Joyce, a full-time staff member who serves as university ombudsperson.

The UI Office of the Ombudsperson serves students, staff, and faculty and helps to resolve a wide variety of disputes in a confidential, neutral, and independent manner. The office reports directly to the university president and works to ensure that all members of the university community receive fair and equitable treatment within the university system.