The ABA Champions Women Ombuds
The American Bar Association recently published Seeds of Change: Women Transforming the Organizational Ombuds Field. The piece centers on an interview with Pinterest’s ombuds, Donna Douglass Williams, who founded the office in 2021 as an element of a negotiated settlement. Pinterest had faced a shareholder lawsuit, alleging that top executives enabled a culture of gender discrimination.
Douglass Williams reports in the interview that one of the most challenging aspects of Ombuds work is addressing power imbalances within vertical organizations. Reflecting on the necessity of bringing tough, but often necessary feedback to leadership, Douglass Williams says, “Sometimes improvement efforts take time, and it’s important to acknowledge ongoing strides while also delivering tough messages that senior leaders need to hear.”
Celebrating “small wins” and recognizing progress, she says, can ensure that accountability is framed as both constructive and achievable.The piece includes an index of women trailblazers within the Ombuds profession, including those who are adapting practices across cultures.
(The piece may not be accessible to all; please contact Marguerite if you would like a full text version printed out.)
