University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld has named Professor Emeritus Susan R. Johnson chair of the search committee tasked with conducting an internal search for the next Faculty Ombudsperson. Johnson served the university in that position from 2010 to 2018.

“I am pleased to assist the university by finding the next faculty member to serve in this important role,” says Johnson.

Johnson spent her entire career at the University of Iowa, earning a bachelor of science, doctor of medicine, and master of science in preventative medicine and environmental health from Iowa. She worked her entire career at the university before retiring in 2018. She was a faculty member and clinician in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the associate dean for faculty affairs in the Carver College of Medicine from 1994 to 2003, received a secondary appointment in the Department of Epidemiology in 1999, and served as associate provost for faculty from 2005 to 2009. She then served as the faculty ombudsperson for eight years, from 2010 to 2018, and retired as professor emeritus of obstetrics and gynecology and epidemiology. She continues to serve as chair of the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN).

Five faculty and staff members will join Johnson on the search committee:

• Sharon Beck, senior director of human resources
• Lois Cox, professor emeritus
• Nancy Hauserman, professor emeritus
• Cynthia Joyce, university ombudsperson
• Thomas Vaughn, associate professor of health management and policy and Faculty Senate past president

The new faculty ombudsperson will replace Rachel Williams, who is stepping down at the end of the 2020-21 academic year.

The faculty ombudsperson is tasked with offering a confidential, neutral, informal, and independent resolution services to ensure all members of the university community receive fair and equitable treatment. The position reports directly to the president and is ordinarily a half-time faculty appointment for a non-renewable term of four years.

Qualified individuals must be an associate or full professor on a regular faculty track or an emeritus faculty member. The individual must have a commitment and understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion in an academic environment and display excellent communication and problem-solving skills. Additionally, the candidate should not simultaneously be a member of the administration at the departmental level or higher, or have other faculty leadership roles.

Individuals wishing to apply for this position should complete the application process by visiting the position requisition at jobs.uiowa.edu. All applications must be submitted using the website. 

A full job description may be viewed at on the Office of the Ombudsperson website.

Interested individuals wishing to nominate someone for this position should submit a letter of nomination, including the name, present position and title, and contact information of the nominee. Nomination materials should be sent to ombudsperson-search@uiowa.edu. Questions should be directed to Susan R. Johnson, chair of the search committee, at the email address above.

For best consideration, application materials should be submitted through jobs@uiowa by April 15.