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The NMB Ombudsman Program

In 2004, the NMB first created the office of Ombudsman and instituted an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) program called the Employee Support Program (ESP). In September 2005, an NMB Ombudsman Charter reaffirmed the NMB’s commitment to its workplace ADR program, and brought the office of the Ombudsman and the ESP in line with the “Standards for the Establishment and Operations of Ombudsman Offices” established by the American Bar Association (ABA) as annotated by the Coalition of Federal Ombudsmen (CFO) and the Federal Interagency ADR Working Group Steering Committee.

In matters where NMB employees or contractors seek assistance with workplace problems, the NMB Ombudsman has been granted the authority to operate independent from the agency, impartially, and confidentially to problem solve, coach, and/or intervene as a third party.

Consistent with the ABA Standards, the NMB Ombudsman is authorized to:

  1. Receive complaints or concerns from employees across all NMB Departments;
  2. Exercise discretion to accept or decline to act on a complaint or question;
  3. Act on her or his own initiative to bring issues to the attention of NMB managers or Board Members;
  4. Gather information regarding complaints or concerns in a manner consistent with the informal nature of the office and the need for employee confidentiality;
  5. Coordinate with union representatives and the NMB Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Director to ensure that no formal procedures are violated by the use of ADR to address concerns or complaints.

The NMB Ombudsman will not disclose and is not required to disclose any information provided in confidence by any party to a concern or complaint, except to address potential physical threats or harassment.

You may contact the NMB Ombudsman Program directly by phone or e-mail:

Jane Allen: 202-692-5033, allen@nmb.gov
Ombudsman: ombuds@nmb.gov

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